Two Bourda Market vendors accused of stealing more than $2 million in milk, cheese and other groceries, were yesterday granted $75,000 bail each by a city court.
The accused, Vickram Nauth and Wazim Bacchus, were read a charge which stated that between December 26 and December 27, at Georgetown, they broke and entered the building of Guynaz Green Grocer and Supermarket and stole 40 boxes of cheese, valued $1,200,000; 40 sacks of milk, worth $120,000 and other articles, all amounting to $2,285,000, property of Mohammed Jafar.
Both men pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Bacchus, 35, of 110 Block ‘Y’ Golden Grove was represented by attorney Adrian Thompson, who told the court that his client has been a vendor at the Bourda Market for over ten years.
According to Thompson, police alleged that a push cart belonging to Bacchus was used to fetch away the items taken from the supermarket and claimed that there was footage to prove same. He however, stated that Bacchus was in the market selling at the time, a fact witnesses can confirm. Thompson further stated that it is common practice for carts to be shared among persons in the marketplace. The attorney argued that the police have no evidence to implicate his client, who was neither present at the time the crime was committed, nor has knowledge of the incident in question.
Nauth, 20, of 82 Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, was represented by Ronald Daniels, who stated that Nauth has been a vendor at Bourda market for the past six years. He submitted that Nauth was ignorant of the substance of the claim, explaining that his client knows nothing of the stolen items.
Prosecutor Deniro Jones did not object to the attorneys’ bail applications and as such, bail was granted to the accused in the sum of $75,000 each.
The matter was adjourned to January 20 by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, when it will be recalled in Court 5.
