Fraud charges against former GRDB, GM and Deputy… Defence raises questions over Special Prosecutor’s ‘pay’

Nov 18, 2017 News

Defence lawyer for two former GRDB officials accused of fraud Thursday accused the prosecutor of taking pay in the matter.

Yesterday defence lawyer, Glenn Hanoman, told the court that Special Prosecutor, Patrice Henry commissioned by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is working at no cost to the State.

However, he explained that it is public knowledge that $100M has been allocated for the Special Prosecutors to prosecute.

He said that the sum will make the fiat for non-payment previously issued ineffective. Thursday morning when the matter was called before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, Prosecutor Henry told that court that he will be withdrawing the matter against the two defendants on the docket where the third party, (Peter Ramcharran) is stated.

Ramcharran was jointly charged with former General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Jagnarine Singh; former Deputy General of GRDB and People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Member, Madanlall Ramraj. Ramcharran is a former GRDB accountant, who is in custody in Canada, pending extradition.

He is expected to make his first court appearance on January 9.

The Prosecutor told the court that the two defendants would be charged separately in a bid to move forward with the case.  But, Henry met with opposition from the defence attorneys. Hanoman accused the prosecutor of wasting the court’s time.   However, after careful consideration, the Magistrate agreed to have the men charged separately.

Magistrate McLennan reread the 34 charges to the two accused and they both pleaded not guilty.

On October 20 after vigorous investigations by SOCU, the three former high ranking officials of GRDB were slapped with 34 additional fraud related charges.
They were both released on $1M bail each by Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, on the charge of failing to make proper entries into the company’s ledger.
It is alleged that between 2011 and 2012, at Lot 16-17 Cowan Street, Kingstown, they omitted to enter, or to make true entries of over $4.2M into the company’s ledger, knowing that it was contrary to standard operation procedures.
Other charges state that during the same time frame, the three officials are alleged to have fraudulently taken $5.1M or applied the money for their own use and benefit or any use and purpose, other than that of the GRDB.

The lawyer asked that bail be transferred, since it’s the same charges they answer to.

He also asked that his clients be granted their passports since they are representatives of the Rice Producers Association, and they are required to travel overseas in order to seek market for rice.

Hanoman in his submission to the court stated that the charges should be struck out since his clients have been charged in one court for failing to make proper entries in the company’s ledger for the respective fiscal years before Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly. They are also before the Chief Magistrate for failing to make individual entries for the said fiscal years.  The lawyer added that the charges are identical and the prosecutor is misleading the court.

The Prosecutor was to reply to the defence counsel.
Already, in one case, six former high-ranking officials of GRDB, including Jagnarine and Ramraj, have been charged and placed on $500,000 bail each for allegedly failing to make a proper entry into a register of a company with the intent to defraud $362M from the entity’s Republic Bank account.
The six officials also included General Secretary of the Producers Association (RPA) and PPP/C Member of Parliament, Dharamkumar Seeraj; former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and PPP/C Member of Parliament, Nigel Dharamlall; former General Manager of the Guyana Oil Company, Badrie Persaud; and the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Finance Ministry of Agriculture, Prema Roopnarine.
The accused all pleaded not guilty to the charges which alleged that between January 1 and December 31, 2012, with intent to defraud, they omitted or concurred to be omitted $77.3M from the general ledger of the GRDB’s Republic Bank account.
Similarly, between 2013, 2014 and 2015 with intent to defraud the entity, they are alleged to have omitted or concurred to be omitted from the said Republic Bank account, $9.7M, $130M and $145M for three respective years.