Simone Fortune, the woman of East Canje, Berbice who is accused of duping several seamen into a fake oil and gas training programme, was on Wednesday slapped with 17 criminal charges.
The woman appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh at the New Amsterdam Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday. According to the prosecution’s case, between December 2019 and March 2020, she received the sum of $1.9M from 17 persons by falsely pretending that she could provide training and issue seafarers certificates.
Fortune pleaded not guilty to all seventeen charges.
Attorney-at-law Ryan Crawford, who represented Fortune, in a bail application, told the court that Fortune is not a flight risk, and added that she has been operating her business for the past five to six years. He added that his client has been recognised by relevant authority as she has had over 200 persons accredited by her agency and they are currently employed with those certificates. He added that his client is not the person who issues the certificates, but rather it is the accredited agency in Panama.
“The only thing that needs to be issued are certificates that are coming from Panama. We will show the Court that Miss Fortune is not guilty of these allegations, and we are asking that Miss Fortune be placed on reasonable bill so that we can convince the trial,” he said in a bill application.
Crawford also informed the Court that it is possible that during the trial the relevant certificates may arrive.
Meanwhile, Police Prosecutor Inspector Althea Solomon informed the court that while the prosecution is not objecting to bail, it is requesting that the defendant report to Central Police Station on a weekly basis pending trial.
Magistrate Singh placed Fortune on bail in the sum of $40,000 on each of the charges, bringing the total to $680,000. As a condition for bail, Fortune is required to lodge her passport, and will have to report to Central Police Station in New Amsterdam every Friday until the completion and determination of the case. The case will continue on January 26.
