March 2nd, has been tentatively set by the Guyana Court of Appeal to commence hearing the appeal filed by convicted Regis-trar of Deeds Azeena Baksh who was found guilty last year of paying herself just over $4.5M.
The hearing date was set on Monday during a case management conference (CMC).
In her notice of appeal, Baksh (the Appellant) is asking the appellate court to reverse, set aside and/or discharge the magistrate’s ruling and enter judgment in her favour.
Almost three years after being charged with fraudulently authorising payments to herself amounting to just over $4.5 million, Baksh was found guilty of the offence last March.
She had denied the charge which stated that while an appointee of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), between May 1st, 2014 and January 31st, 2017, with intent to defraud, she caused or procured valuable securities to the sum of $4,534,480 to be delivered to her bank of Nova Scotia account for her own use and benefit by pretending that she was a contracted employee of the Deeds and Commercial Registries.
At the conclusion of her trial, Magistrate Leron Daly found that based on evidence presented by both the prosecution and de-fence, there was sufficient evidence which backed the prosecution’s case, thereby finding Baksh guilty as charged.
The magistrate spared Baksh jail time and instead ordered her to make full restitution of $4,534,480 to the state.
Baksh, had been granted three months to pay the money in full; but before leaving court on the day of her conviction, she was ordered to make the first payment of $1,133,621.
