Charge dismissed against travel agent in $11M fraud

Apr 23, 2019 News

Priya Lall

Magistrate Dellon Bess has dismissed all charges against Priya Lall, a former travel agent attached to Muneshwer’s Travel Agency who had been indicted for embezzling some $11 M.
The charge, read that Lall being a clerk or servant at Muneshwer’s Travel Agency Limited, fraudulently embezzled US$51,810, equivalent to G$11,190,960, which she took between September 8, 2017 and October 19, 2017, at Water Street.
Reports reaching this newspaper stated that more than 30 passengers paid monies for tickets to the travel agent (Lall) that she would book flights.
Instead she issued the customers with flight itineraries and disappeared. Approximately $7 million of the amount represented monies for tickets for flights on Fly Jamaica Airlines.
The 29-year- old woman had reportedly left the country after she cashed in ticket sales at the popular travel agency, where she was once employed. She was charged soon after she returned to Guyana.
However, last week Thursday, the case was dismissed against Lall after the Prosecution failed to prove that at the time that the alleged crime was committed, Lall was employed at Universal Travel Agency.
The woman‘s lawyer, Euclin Gomes, pointed out the name of the company listed in the charge, does not coincide with the name under which the business is registered.
He noted that the correct name of the business must be listed in the charge; it is essential to establish a case against his client.
The lawyer said that the charge was defective and the Prosecution although it was given an opportunity to amend the defect, failed to do so.
“The Prosecution was given a chance to seek advice from the Director of Public Proescutions (DPP) to amend the defect. However it was a defect that they failed to cure.”
As such, the charges were dropped against Ms Lall.
Lall had been working at the agency for the past six years and the agency never had any issues with her and monies prior to this incident. Kaieteur News understands that Lall had been employed with Travel Span, Globe Span and Fly Jamaica prior to working with the agency.
The matter could be taken to the High Court since there is the contention that the police deliberately failed to institute the correct charge.