A 32-year-old woman accused of forging a passport and a perpetrating a $2 million fraud was yesterday granted bail in the sum of $350,000 when she appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
The allegation is that between September 1 and 24 at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, Rhonda Warde of 30 Howes Street, Charlestown conspired with others to forge a Guyana passport numbered 1084807 in favour of Jacqueline Graham.
Then on September 24, Warde allegedly obtained from Sherry Persaud the sum of $2 million by falsely pretending to Persaud that she was in a position to obtain a house lot for her at Subryanville.
The cosmetologist was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and obtaining money by false pretence when they were read to her by the acting chief magistrate.
Prosecutor Stephen Telford in his address to the court said that the defendant had initially told Persaud that the land was valued at $15 million.
However, after collecting $2 million she then increased the price by $5 million taking it to $20 million.
According to the prosecutor, the complainant became suspicious and the police were called after which the accused was arrested.
Telford added that based on information received, the police, after conducting further investigations uncovered that Warde had been implicated in forging the passport.
Telford told the court that the passport was actually the property of a Jessica Sahadeo.
Attorney-at-law Patrice Henry who represented the defendant made an application for his client to be admitted to reasonable bail on the grounds that she had no antecedents, has a fixed place of abode, poses no risk of flight and has been fully cooperating with the police in their investigations.
Telford told the court that he had no objections to the defendant being granted her pretrial liberty.
He requested that she report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters every Friday at 5 pm.
The mother of one was later granted bail to the tune of $350,000. She was ordered to return to court on November 3 for statements.
