A Herstelling engineer was yesterday granted $500,000 bail by a city court after it was alleged that he, over a two-year period, falsely obtained $13 million from a woman to deliver a range of services, including building a house and hiring a private investigator.
Michael Persaud, 43, was read a charge stating that between October 1, 2013, and March 31, 2015, at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Patricia Teixeira $13 million by falsely pretending he was in a position to obtain a house lot, construct a house, pay for a land claim at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, purchase a vehicle and retain a private investigator, knowing same to be false.
Persaud was not permitted to plead to the indictable charge as the prosecution indicated advice in that regard had not yet been passed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Persaud was represented by attorney Keziah Williams, who made an appearance in association with Nigel Hughes. Williams made an application for bail, which went unchallenged by the prosecution, in which she stated that Persaud was not a flight risk as he has no passport.
Bail was granted to the accused in the sum of $500,000 by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and the matter has been adjourned to June 15 for report.
