Ex-GRA personnel charged for collecting bribe from night club owner

Thirty-three-year-old Siresti Bascom, a former employee of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), was on Friday slapped with a charge of corrupt transaction when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Bascom, who is now a security guard, denied that on December 4, 2018, at the Rio Night Club, while being an agent of the GRA, he corruptly obtained $1 million from Paul Daby as a reward or inducement to not seize and remove uncustomed alcoholic beverages found at the nightclub, an act in relation to his principal affairs.
The court heard that on the day in question, the defendant was given instructions to go and seize a quantity of illegal alcoholic beverages at the nightclub, but failed to do same and instead collected the cash listed in the charge.
A report was later made against Bascom regarding his actions. An investigation was launched into the matter and upon completion, the present charge was instituted against him.
Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh made no objections to bail being granted and as such, Magistrate Leron Daly granted Bascom his pre-trial liberty in the sum of $80,000.
Bascom will make his next court appearance on September 20, 2019.