A Guyanese woman, who is accused of forging her receipts for medical bills submitted to the British Virgin Island’s (BVI) Social Security Board, is expected to stand trial on June 22, the BVI Platinum News reported yesterday.
According to the report, Diana Manniram, who is charged with forgery, uttering forged documents and theft, made her first court appearance in December 2009.
The case presented by the prosecution, the Platinum News said, was that in October 2008 the Guyanese who was employed at Fort Recovery, West End was involved in an accident while at work where she suffered serious injuries.
Manniram was then duly paid her social security benefits after she presented her receipts for medical and other related expenditures.
However, some irregularities were discovered on some of the receipts submitted by the defendant. The report said the Social Security Board then carried out a review of her file and discovered that there were more discrepancies on the file than what first appeared. The figures on several of the receipts submitted by the woman were higher than those on the original receipts issued by the institutions at which she made the expenditure.
Based upon the review by the Social Security Board, just over $1,000 was paid out to the defendant in social security benefits on the receipts over the period of several months.
The police were called in and a criminal investigation launched, following which the woman was slapped with the charges.
Manniran is currently on bail.
