Thirty-two-year-old Apollos Manoharlall of Alexander Village Georgetown, an employee of the ANSA McAL Group of Companies, was on Monday arraigned in City Magistrate Judy Latchman’s court on five counts of embezzlement that involved more than Gy$22 million.
The first charge alleges that on March 24, 2017, at Georgetown, while employed as a clerk at ANSA McAL, he fraudulently embezzled $6,365,000, cash taken into possession by himself in the name of ANSA McAL Limited, property of ANSA McAL.
Another charge alleges that between March 17 and April 7, 2017, he fraudulently embezzled more than Gy$16,476,000, cash taken into possession by himself, property of the said company.
Manoharlall pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to him by the magistrate.
The court heard that the accused was arrested on Wednesday last and released on station bail the following day; but was re-arrested on Friday, and had since been in Police custody.
Manoharlall’s legal counsel, Attorney-at-law Sase Gunraj, in an application for bail for his client, said the defendant was willing to surrender his passport, thus restricting any possibility or risk of flight. He contended that the Police have thus far taken no statements from the company (ANSA McAL), and disclosed that his client had only last Friday appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce in an unrelated matter, which was promptly dismissed.
Guyana Times understands also that, to date, the accused has not been notified of any termination of service by the plaintiff company.
The accused was placed on a total of $2 million bail, $400,000 for each charge, and is expected to face Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on July 17.