Anand Ramlogan is a member of the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago, England & Wales and the British Virgin Islands.[1] He is the founder and head of Freedom Law Chambers[1] which is based in the city of San Fernando, Trinidad. He served as junior counsel to the late Sir Fenton Ramsahoye QC[2] in whose footsteps he followed to become the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago during the period 28 May 2010 – 2 February 2015.[3] As Attorney General, he was also the titular head of the bar.
Ramlogan is also a constitutional and human rightslawyer, having been called to the bar of Trinidad and Tobago in 1996 and the bar of England and Wales in 1994 and was appointed Senior Counsel on 30 December 2011. He was awarded the prestigious Express Individual of the Year award in 2004 joining a distinguished list of recipients that includes former Chief Justice Michael DeLabastide, Prime Ministers, Presidents and other prominent citizens for his outstanding work in successfully representing ordinary citizens whose rights were violated by the government.[4]
He is a member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple (U.K.), the holder of an L.L.B. degree and a Master's in Corporate and Commercial Law.[5] Ramlogan is one of the top legal minds in the Caribbean. He frequently appears in leading cases for or against the state in the superior courts including the London-based final appellate court, the Privy Council where he has done numerous appeals. His recent cases in the Privy Council include:
Maharaj v The Cabinet of Trinidad [2023] UKPC 17 in which Ravi Balgobin Maharaj challenged the government's decision to postpone local government elections. In a historic judgment, the Privy Council ruled against the government thereby forcing the Prime Minister to call the elections. The term of office of representatives had come to an end in December 2023.[6][7]
JM v The Attorney General [2022] UKPC 54 - This case concerned a child who was tortured and sexually abused at a home for children. It was the first time in legal history that the state was found to have subjected a child to cruel and unusual punishment because of the "living hell" that was made to endure from 12 years old. The child was awarded $2 Million for the breach of his constitutional rights which included $1 Million or vindicatory damages - the largest sum ever.[8][9][10]
Akili Charles v The Attorney General [2022] UKPC [1]- This landmark case challenged a law that prohibited bail for murder. In a unanimous decision, the Privy Council ruled[11] that such a law was unconstitutional thereby paving the way for persons accused of murder to apply for bail.[12][13] Thus, after persons accused of murder could not apply for bail (regardless of the circumstances) for over a century, they can now do so. Bail should only be granted in cases where the accused does not pose a threat to society.[14]
Akili Charles v The Attorney General [2022] UKPC 49 - The state was ordered to pay the legal costs of a re-trial because it was the author of the "colossal misstep" that affected many prisoners who had been awaiting trial for over a decade.[15][16][17]
A&A Mechanical v Petroleum Company of Trinidad - This was a multi-million-dollar commercial dispute which resulted in the national oil company having to pay millions of dollars to a local contractor. It is now a leading case on the law on "without prejudice" communications in the context of commercial negotiations.[18]