Magistrate Oneidge Walrond-Allicock on Tuesday granted bail to a health worker accused of attempting to obtain more than $100,000 from the Bank of Guyana (BoG) using a forged cheque.

Aaron Gardener, 22, of Lot 84 Fourth Avenue, Subryanville and Lot 5, Back Street, Houston, pleaded not guilty to a charge of endeavouring to obtain upon a forged instrument when he appeared at the Georgetown Magis-trate’s Court.

He was granted $50,000 bail. It is alleged that Gardener attempted to obtain $112, 000 using the forged cheque on Monday.

His lawyer, Adrian Thompson, told the court in a bail application that his client has worked with the Ministry of Health for five years and that he diagnoses and treats persons with malaria.

He said Gardener came from an interior location last Wednesday and he uplifted the cheque for his transportation, subsistence and other things, from the ministry at its Brickdam office.

Thompson said his client, “innocently went to the bank” to cash the cheque and that he would have expected the police to investigate the matter more before charging him.

Thompson said that Gardener is not a flight risk and he believes that the ministry will now have to conduct an internal investigation.

The prosecution did not object to bail.

The matter will continue in Court One on January 10.