A 25-year-old mother of one yesterday pleaded not guilty and was granted bail to the tune of $200,000 when a charge of simple larceny was read to her by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
It is alleged that between March 20 and March 23 at Georgetown, Nazeema Matthews of 161 Patentia Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara, being a servant or clerk, stole $737,000 from B.M. Enterprise.
Attorney-at-Law Deborah De Santos who represented the woman told the court, “my client had placed the money on her boss’s desk and moments later it disappeared; as a result no one can positively say that it was my client who had stolen the money since she was not the only one in the building at the time.” De Santos then made an application for reasonable bail to be granted on the grounds that her client had been placed on $50,000 station bail and has ever since been in full cooperation with the police. She added also that the defendant posed no risk of flight and has a fixed place of abode.
However, Chief Executive Officer of B.M. Enterprise Budnarine Meghan, who was present in court, told the magistrate that it was not the first time Matthews had stolen from the company. According to him, this was the third time and the largest amount she had stolen. He said that on the first occasion she had stolen $6,000 and he had decided against pressing charges.
Police Prosecutor Corporal Munilall Seetaram objected to bail stating that the defendant had antecedents and may likely flee the jurisdiction.
The former B.M. Enterprise employee was subsequently placed on $200,000 bail and has to return to court on April 6.