GRA clerks charged over $19M cheque forgery

Two clerks attached to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were among four individuals charged on Friday over the discovery of two forged cheques from the tax agency – one of which was encashed at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), Regent Street, Georgetown.
Facing charges are GRA clerks 25-year-old Tooqwan Clarke of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and 26-year-old Ivor Dowridge of Second Street, Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown; 38-year-old Randi Gladstone; and 26-year-old Leroy Green, an accountant of William Street Kitty, Georgetown.
The first charge stated that Gladstone, between October 28, 2020 and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Green, Dowridge, Clarke, Rameschand Singh, Komalram Persaud, Devindra Moteeram, Anush Khan, and others to forge one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-251478, dated 2021-04-09 amounting to $9,550,000, purporting to show that same was issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority, Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.
It is alleged that Gladstone, between October 28, 2020, and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Green, Dowridge, Clarke, Rameschand Singh, Komalram Persaud, Devindra Moteeram, Anush Khan, Shereesa Tappin, and other persons to forge one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760, dated 2021-04-09 amounting to $9,875,000, in favour of Shareesa Tappin, purporting to show that same was issued by GRA’s, Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.
The quartet was not required to plead to the indictable charges. Each of them was granted bail to the tune of $600,000, except for Gladstone who was remanded to prison. They will make their next court appearance on July 2, 2021, before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Others charged
On Tuesday, five persons including a woman were charged over forging and encashing GRA cheques at GBTI. Except for the woman, who was remanded to prison, the men were each granted $300,000 bail.

Those charged are: Romeschand Singh, 40, of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara (EBD); Komalram Persaud, 25, of Golden Grove, EBD; Devindra Moteeram, 24, of East La Penitence, Georgetown; Anush Khan, 29, of Diamond, EBD; and Shareesa Tappin, 26, of Clifford Avenue, Georgetown.
It is alleged that Singh, between October 28, 2020, and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Persaud, Moteeran, Khan, and other persons to forge one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-251478, dated 2021-04-09 amounting to $9,875,000, purporting to show that same was issued by GRA’s Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.
The second charge stated that Singh, between October 28, 2020, and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Shareesa Tappin, Persaud, Moteeran, Khan, and other persons to forge one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760, dated 2021-04-20 amounting to $9,875,000 in favour of Tappin, purporting to show that same was issued by GRA’s Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.
It was further alleged that Tappin, on May 11, 2021, at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited, Regent Street, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, uttered to Afsaanah Azimullah, a Bank Teller, one forged Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760 dated 2021-04-20 amounting to $9,875,000, in favour of her, purporting to show that it was issued by GRA’s Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.
It was further alleged that Tappin, on May 11, 2021, at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited Regent Street, Georgetown, with intent to defraud endeavoured the sum of $9,875,000 from the said bank under, upon or by virtue of a forged instrument, that is to say, one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760, dated 2020-04-20 amounting to $9,875,000 in her favour, purporting to show that same was issued by GRA’s Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.

Unearthed
The fraud was unearthed after an employee of the GBTI called GRA to confirm the issuance and the amount on the cheque to be encashed. That was the fourth cheque the perpetrators had forged as three others had already been cashed. The cheques were cashed at different branches of GBTI – one at the Diamond, EBD location and the others at its Regent Street, Georgetown location.
In a letter to the Bank of Guyana (BoG) on the issue, GRA Head Godfrey Statia confirmed that the cheques were forged since GRA cheques are stamped “not negotiable” which means that the banks are not allowed to cash them but deposit it into the payee’s account.
Further, it was pointed out by the GRA Head that the signatures of the payee on the cheques in question do not clearly match that on their ID cards. It was against this backdrop that Statia said the fraud was perpetrated as a result of negligence at best or collusion at worst on the part of the commercial bank.
He added that the fact that the bank employee would call to verify the authenticity of the cheques shows that there are rules and operating procedures in place to minimise or prevent such occurrences.
Further, Statia requested the BoG to ensure such requests are accepted from its account, and that the commercial bank is liable for the fraud. Guyana Times understands that the money that was debited from GRA’s account in the fraudulent transactions will have to reinstated.
Since the fraud was made public, BoG Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga has warned local commercial banks to exercise due diligence to avoid any acts of fraud. Dr Ganga had reportedly met with the executives of the bank and cautioned them to be diligent against such acts in the future.
Investigations are still ongoing in this matter. More persons are likely to be charged.