Former Gold Board employees slapped with fraud charges

A former accountant of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB), Rosanna Ramnarine, 34, of Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara, and 50-year-old Deborah Forbes of Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara, a former clerk of the GGB, were on Monday arraigned before Senior Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates Courts, each charged with three counts of fraud.

They each pleaded not guilty to the three charges when it was read to them.
The court heard that between January 1, 2017 and February 28, 2017, while they were employed at the Guyana Gold Board, located at Lot 68 Brickdam, Georgetown, they wilfully, and with intent to defraud, falsified documents (payment vouchers) in possession of the Gold Board purporting to show that Clinton Alphonso had received a payment of $436,409.
Within the same period, they also allegedly worked together to wilfully, and with intent to defraud, falsify documents in possession of the Guyana Gold Board purporting to show that Brian Chase had received a payment of $436,409.
The third charge stated that Ramnarine and Forbes together stole $436,409 in cash from the GGB.
Defence Attorney for Rosanna Ramnarine, Nigel Hughes, in a bail application, told the court that his client was already reporting to SOCU on a weekly basis, and is cooperating fully with investigators.
Police Prosecutor Quinn Harris did not object to either woman being placed on bail, but asked that conditions be applied.
The women were granted bail to a total value of $450,000, and were each ordered to lodge their travel documents and to report to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) every Friday until the conclusion of the case.
The matter is expected to continue on August 27, 2018.
Reports are that SOCU had launched an investigation into an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme at the GGB and the duo were sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of further probes.
Further, the duo, each of whom has been employed at the GGB for over 10 years, reportedly managed to skim off portions of the payments.
Only recently, Ramnarine was slapped with six fraud charges, and appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore after she was accused of “millions of dollars” in theft through the manipulation of the gold testing system.