ABSTRACT

Under statute, however, the procedure may be reversed. Section 17(1) of the Trinidad and Tobago Bail Act provides that unless (the surety) has reasonable cause for his failure, the court may order forfeiture of the security.51 This suggests that the bailor should be allowed to show cause before a forfeiture order is made. Even before this provision, the practice as described in Zambar Baksh (above) appears to have been to issue the summons to show cause to the bailor before declaring the recognisance forfeited.