A 48-year-old electrical contractor was placed on $420,000 bail on charges of uttering forged currency, possession of forged currency and obtaining money by false pretence when he appeared yesterday before Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Cecil Pluck of 84 Fifth Avenue, Subryanville, Georgetown denied the allegations against him. It is alleged that on February 8 Pluck, with intent to defraud, purchased one queen-sized mattress and a number of other items totalling $38,000 from Farouk Hussein and paid him with fake Euros.

On the following day, February 9 he was allegedly caught with separate amounts of forged Euros in his possession.

In his client’s defence, attorney Adrian Thompson said that his client is maintaining his innocence. He said that the defendant is a regular customer of Hussein. “My client obtained the money in the line of his job and was never aware that he had such.”

He said that the virtual complainant delivers goods to his client all the time and if he had intentions to defraud he would not have chosen him.

The prosecutor then replied that at least nine of the forged currency notes had the same number and the defendant should have noted that. She stated, however, that is a matter for the trial.

Pluck was placed on $90,000 bail each for two counts of uttering forged currency; $85,000 on two counts of possession of forged currency; $60,000 on the count of obtaining money by false pretence and $20,000 on a summary charge. He has to return to court on March 14.