The police say they are investigating a report of alleged fraud at the Deeds Registry and the Supreme Court Registry, Crime Chief Leslie James disclosed yesterday.
James when contacted related to Stabroek News that investigators have acted on a report made by the person in charge of the Registry.
Registrar of the Deeds Registry, Azeema Baksh confirmed to Stabroek News recently that an internal probe has been launched into an alleged forgery of documents in two property matters between Fidelity Investment Inc and Caricom Insurance. The alleged forgery resulted in acting Chief Justice Ian Chang making an order for six notices of Discontinuation and six notices of Withdrawal of Opposition not to be treated as valid.
The saga began in 2012 when Fidelity Investment Inc sought to transfer two properties to Caricom General Insurance. Co. Inc., another member of the same group. Gafsons Limited, through their attorneys, on December 27, 2012 immediately intervened to oppose the transports since the companies were said to owe Gafsons substantial sums and it feared that the transfer of the properties was a means to prevent Gafsons pursuing its debts.
Pleadings in the matter were closed and a request for hearing was filed on June 17, 2013. However, legal sources say that while Gafsons was awaiting fixture for hearing someone submitted forged documents purportedly issued by Gafsons’s attorney withdrawing the six oppositions and six actions. An attempt was made to pass the transport based on the forged withdrawals.
However, the allegedly forged documents came to the attention of the authorities and the transports were not issued to Caricom General Insurance Co. Inc., which if they were issued would have jeopardised Gafsons’s claim.
