Man accused of $4.5m fraud granted $950,000 bail

A contractor and businessman accused of defrauding two men of over $4.5 million was on Thursday granted bail in the sum of $950,000, despite strong objections from the prosecution, who argued that he had previously failed to attend court and may be a flight risk.

Michael Sukhu, Lot 81 Courbane Park, Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD), appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he was arraigned on two charges of obtaining money by false pretence.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The first charge alleges that on September 18, 2023, at Rupert Craig Highway, Sukhu obtained $500,000 from Gordon Barker by falsely pretending he was in a position to supply 21 cubic yards of concrete.

The second charge alleges that on February 8, 2024, at South Road, Georgetown, he obtained $4 million from Bisnauth Singh by falsely claiming he could sell him a plot of land at Tuschen North, East Bank Essequibo, knowing that the property had already been sold to Vidyanand Deokinandam.

In court, Sukhu was represented by attorney George Thomas, who pleaded for reasonable bail, stating that his client is a known contractor and businessman in the concrete industry.

The lawyer informed the court that Sukhu had previously been remanded on similar charges and was released from prison in February of this year, after which he had attended every court date in connection with his pending matter.

“He is not a flight risk,” the lawyer stressed, adding that Sukhu’s passport has been lodged with the court and that he is willing and able to attend any further proceedings. The attorney also pointed out that there were no allegations of witness interference in the current charges.

However, the prosecution strongly objected to bail, citing the serious nature of the offences, Sukhu’s history of non-attendance, and his pending matters before other courts.

The prosecutor told the court that a summons had to be issued after Sukhu failed to attend court on a previous occasion, and that law enforcement was only able to contact him because he was remanded at the time.

The court also heard that the most recent complaints were only made to police on Wednesday, and additional charges may follow.

The prosecutor argued, “He is no stranger to the court,” and maintained that if granted bail, Sukhu may not return to answer the charges.

During a brief exchange in court, the magistrate inquired whether Sukhu was on bail in relation to the other matter and what those charges entailed.

However, the defense noted that the prosecution did not provide that information to the court, nor was it reflected in the prosecution’s file.

Attorney Thomas emphasized that Sukhu had “learned his lesson” after being summoned in the earlier matter and had since made it a point to appear in court every single time.

He reiterated that his client had cooperated fully and deserved a fair opportunity to defend himself while out on bail.

After considering both submissions, Acting Chief Magistrate McGusty acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and the fact that a previous summons had been issued for Sukhu’s failure to appear.

Nonetheless, she granted bail in the sum of $200,000 for the matter involving Gordon Barker and $750,000 in the matter concerning Bisnauth Singh.

Sukhu is expected to return to court on August 29.