The proceedings in the tax evasion case against Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall, his wife Bhena Lall and remigrant couple Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan have been adjourned until next year.
Magistrate Judy Latchman yesterday granted an adjournment after one of the attorneys representing the quartet announced that Narootandeo had undergone eye surgery. Counsel then requested the adjournment, to which the prosecution had no objections.
The magistrate subsequently set the next hearing for January 8, 2015, when the Brijnanans are expected to appear to plead to the charges levelled against them.
No reason was given for the man’s wife being absent at yesterday’s hearing. The Lalls were, however, present at court yesterday.
At the first hearing on October 13, prosecutor for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Sandil Kissoon had explained to the court that service of summons was effected on the Brijnanans at a known fixed local address, but it was discovered that they were not in the country. The court was, however, informed by defence counsel Khemraj Ramjattan that the couple was expected back in Guyana on October 24 and Kissoon said that they would be effectively served with summons when they returned. Both sides then agreed to an adjournment until yesterday’s date for continuation and the arraignment of the Brijnanans.
Of the four tax evasion charges laid against the Lalls, the Brijnanans are joint parties to two of them.
Of the charges levelled against the Lalls, two counts were for having knowingly dealt with goods, with intent to defraud the GRA of duties, and two counts were for knowingly being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of import duties of Customs.
The first two offences were allegedly committed between June 18, 2013, and August 30, 2014, at Lot 110 Regent Street and at Lot 24 Saffon Street and involved two Lexus LX 570 vehicles, with licence plate numbers PRR 8399 and PRR 8398.
The charges state that between June 18, 2013, and August 30 of this year, at 24 Saffon Street, Georgetown, the Lalls knowingly dealt with goods, with intent to defraud the GRA of duties on the two vehicles.
The second two offences were allegedly committed by the Lalls jointly with the Brijnanans and others unknown, between June 18, 2013 and September 21, 2013, at Lot 200-201 Camp Street, where they reportedly knowingly concerned, aided and abetted each other in the fraudulent evasion of the import duties of customs due and payable to the GRA on the two vehicles.
Ramjattan had successfully requested self-bail for the Lalls after their arraignment, to which the prosecution had no objections.
The defendants are represented by Ramjattan in association with a barrage of other lawyers, including Senior Counsel Rex McKay, Nigel Hughes, Joseph Harmon and Christopher Ram.
Meanwhile, Kissoon appears in association with attorney Mahendra Satram for the GRA.
The authorities said the charges against the Lalls stem from a wider investigation, which was prompted by the sudden appearance of an unusual number of luxury vehicles in the country. Glenn Lall, however, has maintained that he and his newspaper are being persecuted by the GRA as a result of their exposures of government wrongdoing and corruption.
The Auditor General’s office is looking into duty-free concessions granted to remigrants from 2010 to 2014. 2013 is the year currently being looked at. The Brijnanans became the focus of an investigation after it was reported that the Lalls were using two Lexus vehicles that they imported into the country under the remigrant scheme. As a result of the duty-free concessions granted to them, they were not required to pay the more than $100 million in duties on the luxury vehicles.
