Two Berbice women appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, charged with separate counts of fraud involving millions of dollars.
Guitree Birjanand called ‘Falita,’ 45, of Lot 1095 Glasgow Housing Scheme was slapped with four charges, two of which are for forgery, one for embezzlement and one for uttering a forged document all involving a total exceeding $9.5 million.
Meanwhile, Sandra Rampersaud, 56, of Lot 2 Highbury, East Bank Berbice (EBB), was charged with obtaining money by fraud.
The women appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus to answer to the charges. When Birjanand made her appearance, she was not entitled to plead to the indictable charge but after the Administration of Justice Act was applied, she pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According the charges, during the month of January 2012 and May 30th, 2012 at Gay Park, EBB, Birjanand stole $9.7 million belonging to Abdool Ishmael, her uncle. She is also accused of, on the 20th of October 2012, forging a cash receipt to the amount of $158,000 to show that it was made by Lakhram Parmanand. It is also alleged that on the 22nd of November 2012, she forged a receipt for the amount of $750,000 to show that it was made by Lakhram Parmamand.
Finally, on May 13th, 2013, at Gay Park, it is alleged that with intent to defraud, Birjanand uttered to Abdool Ishmael, two forged cash receipts claiming to be made by Lakhram Parmanand, knowing same to be forged.
According to the prosecution’s case presented by police sergeant Godfrey Playter, Birjanand’s uncle left her in charge of overlooking construction of his house at Gay Park after he went overseas.
The uncle made the necessary arrangements for his niece to access the finance and other documents. During the time, it was stated that the man also sent money to her to ensure that construction was moving apace. The accused also received an additional sum of money (three million) from a popular businessman in New Amsterdam on behalf of the uncle to aid with construction.
When Ishmael returned to Guyana and learnt that his house was incomplete, he contacted his niece. After she failed to provide documents, the man embarked on further investigations and determined that $9.5 million could not be accounted for. He subsequently made a report to the Central Police Station and a probe was launched. Birjanand was arrested and charged. She was placed on $300,000 bail for the four charges and ordered to return to court on September 15th.
Homecare worker
Meanwhile, Rampersaud allegedly embezzled over $4.3 million from her overseas-based niece. The woman is accused of obtaining US$21,574 from Chetranie Rampersaud, a homecare worker of New York.
The woman pleaded not guilty to the charge of obtaining money by fraud and was placed on $100,000 bail.
According to the facts presented in court by prosecutor Playter, after Rampersaud’s niece migrated, she kept in contact with her aunt. During one of their conversations, she told her aunt that she was interested in setting up a business in Guyana. It was explained that the niece was interested in acquiring lands for rice cultivation, house lots and a stall in the New Amsterdam Market.
According to the prosecutor, Rampersaud informed her niece that she was able to locate the lands and stall in the market.
Upon hearing that the aunt was making progress, the overseas-based Guyanese started to send money in September 2010 for business transactions. The total sum amounted to $4,314,600.
However, when Chetranie Rampersaud arrived in Guyana on August 7, 2014, she was unable to contact the accused.
After the niece was unable to make contact with her aunt, she suspected something was amiss and made a visit to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA). There she enquired about lands in her name and discovered that her aunt did not purchase any. She also made checks on the stall in the market and learnt that it was not purchased as well.
The niece reported the matter to the Central Police Station. An investigation was launched and Rampersaud was located, arrested and placed before the court.
Her attorney Ian Anamayah pleaded for her pre- trial liberty. He informed the court that steps are being made to recover the money. Bail was granted and the woman was ordered to return to court on September 30th.
