Haimlata Temal yesterday appeared for the third time before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court for allegedly embezzling millions from her former place of employment.
An additional 65 embezzlement charges were levelled against her yesterday bringing the total number of charges to 83.
Yesterday’s charges amounted to over $5.3 million, bringing the amount Temal allegedly embezzled from her former place of employment, Beepat’s, to $7.5 million and other charges are still pending further investigation.
Temal pleaded not guilty the new charges as they were read to her by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.
Temal of 12 Good Hope, Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara was previously in court on March 19 and April 4 on three and 15 charges of embezzlement, respectively. She was remanded to prison on the first occasion, and granted bail on the second.
Gwendolyn Bristol, Temal’s attorney, said that the manner in which the police were approaching the matter was abusive because of the quantum of charges being levelled against Temal at intervals. Bristol further requested the court to keep her client’s bail at the last amount of $900,000.
The prosecution replied to Bristol’s statement explaining that the charges were being brought against the accused as the investigations unfolded and the police could hardly be blamed for the pace at which that was occurring.
“The police do not want to keep Temal in custody,” the prosecution said, noting that the charges up to now still had not amounted to $10 million but investigations are ongoing.
Temal was placed on $1 million bail and the matter will continue on May 23 in Court Six.
