Court throws out $300M fraud charges against former GRDB Directors
Senior Magistrate Leron Daly on Thursday dismissed several fraud-related charges against six former officials of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) when the matter was called before her at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Nigel Dharamlall
Charges were instituted against People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Members of Parliament Nigel Dharamlall and Dharamkumar Seeraj. Also charged were former GRDB General Manager Jagnarine Singh, Deputy General Manager Ricky Ramraj, former GRDB Board member Badrie Persaud and former Deputy Permanent Secretary (Finance) of the Agriculture Ministry, Prema Roopnarine.
One of the charges alleged that while being then members of GRDB Board in 2012, they had omitted to enter into the ledger $77.3 million.
Prema Roopnarine
The second charge stated that between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015, they omitted to enter into the GRDB ledger $130 million, $9.7 million and $147 million, respectively. Charges were not instituted against Dharamlall for the second offence.
Badrie Persaud
Additionally, Dharamlall, Roopnarine, Singh and Ramraj were jointly charged for fraudulently omitting to account for $52 million in 2011.
On Wednesday, when the case was called, Special Prosecutor of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Lawrence Harris failed to make another appearance.
Jagnarine Singh
Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall and Glenn Hanoman, who were representing the defendants, requested for the charges to be dismissed on the grounds that the Prosecutor was a no-show for several court hearings. The Attorney’s submissions were upheld and the charges were dismissed.
In August, Magistrate Daly had also dismissed the charge against Singh, Dharamlall and Roopnarine.
The charge which was dismissed alleged that in 2011, while being members of the GRDB, with intent to defraud, they omitted to enter some $52 million in the GRDB ledger.
The charge was dismissed after Magistrate Daly found that Special Prosecutor of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Lawrence Harris failed to prove his case against them.
