GRA staffers  appear in court for forging cheques worth $19M

(Photo credit Randi Gladstone, Ivor Dowridge, Leroy Green)

Two staffers of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were among four persons charged today for forging two cheques valued at $19 million purporting to show that they were issued by the tax agency.

Those charged are GRA clerks 26-year-old Ivor Dowridge, of 35 Second Street Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown; and 25-year-old Tooqwan Clarke, of 264 West Ruimveldt Georgetown; 38-year-old Randi Gladstone; and  26-year-old Leroy Green, an accountant of 31 Williams Street, Kitty, Georgetown.

They appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The first charge stated that Randi Gladstone between Wednesday, October 28, 2020 and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Leroy Green, Ivor Dowridge, Tooqwan Clarke, Rameschand Singh, Komalram Persaud, Devindra Moteeram, Anush Khan, and others to forge one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-251478, dated 2021-04-09 amounting to $9,550,000, purporting to show that same was issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority, Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.

It is alleged that Gladstone between Wednesday, October 28, 2020, and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Leroy Green, Ivor Dowridge, Tooqwan Clarke, Rameschand Singh, Komalram Persaud, Devindra Moteeram, Anush Khan, Shereesa Tappin, and other persons forged one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760, dated 2021-04-09 amounting to $9,875,000, in favour of Shareesa Tappin purporting to show that same was issued by GRA’s, Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.

They were not required to plead to the indictable charges after they were read to them by the magistrate. Green, Dorridge, and Clarke were all granted $600,000 bail each. Meanwhile, Gladstone was remanded to prison for the offense. Their next court date is July 2, 2020.

According to reports, the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry (GBTI) recently processed several fake cheques from the Guyana Revenue Authority. Upon the discoveries, the matters were reported to the Guyana Police Force and investigations were launched.

Earlier this week, five persons who are accused of encashing a $9.8M forged GRA cheque at GBTI were charged.

Those charged are Romeschand Singh, 40, of Back Street, Squatting Area, Grove, East Bank Demerara; Komalram Persaud, 25, of 471 Section C Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara; Devindra Moteeram, 24, of Jackson Dam, East La Penitence, Mandela Avenue, Georgetown; Anush Khan, 29, of 89 Section C Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara; and Shareesa Tappin, 26, of 24 Clifford Avenue, Georgetown.

They, too, appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The first charge stated that Romeschand Singh between October 28, 2020, and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Komalram Persaud, Devindra Moteeran, Anush Khan, and other persons to forge one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-251478, dated 2021-04-09 amounting to $9,875, 000, purporting to show that same was issued by GRA’s, Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.

The second charge stated that Romeschand Singh between October 28, 2020, and May 11, 2021, at Georgetown, conspired with Shareesa Tappin, Komalram Persaud, Devindra Moteeran, Anush Khan, and other persons to forge one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760, dated 2021-04-20 amounting to $9,875,000 in favor of Shareesa Tappin purporting to show that same was issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority, Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.

It was further alleged that Shareesa Tappin on May 11, 2021, at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited Regent Street,  Georgetown, with intent to defraud, uttered to Afsaanah Azimullah, a Bank Teller, one forged Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760 dated 2021-04-20 amounting to $9,875,000, in favour of the said Shareesa Tappin, purporting to show that same was issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority, Internal Revenue Department, knowing same to be forged.

It was further alleged that Shareesa Tappin on May 11, 2021, at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited Regent Street, Georgetown, with intent to defraud endeavoured the sum of $9,875,000 from the said bank under, upon, or by virtue of a forged instrument, that is to say, one Bank of Guyana cheque #08-252760, dated 202-04-20 amounting to $9,875,000 in favour of the said Shareesa Tappin, purporting to show that same was issued by GRA’s, Internal Revenue Department,  knowing same to be forged.

They were not required to plead to the indictable charges after they were read to them by the magistrate. Singh, Persaud, Moteeram, and Khan were all granted $600,000 bail each. The condition of the bail is that they report to the Assistant Superintendent of Police Caesar every other Monday until the hearing and determination of the trial.

Meanwhile, Tappin was remanded to prison for the offense. They were all instructed to make their next court appearance on June 21.