A 25-year-old man who allegedly uttered a forged US$100 and had another in his possession was placed on $225,000 bail when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Victor Richards of Lot 90 North Timehri pleaded not guilty to charges of uttering a forged document and possession of forged documents when they were read to him by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.

It is alleged that on June 9 at Grove, East Bank Demerara Richards uttered a forged US$100 bill to a police constable knowing the same to be forged. He also allegedly had in his possession a second forged bill.

Attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat, in Richards’ defence, told the court that his client had no knowledge that the currency was forged. He further explained that on the said day his client was about to purchase a bottle of whisky worth $12,500 from a sports bar.

It was discovered that the US$100 bill he was about to make the payment with was fake and several police officers who were in the bar searched him and discovered a second forged bill.

However, Fung-a-Fat maintained that his client is innocent and he made an application for reasonable bail to be granted. “Providence people are more poor than Georgetown people, your worship. So please don’t give my client a Georgetown bail,” the lawyer requested.

The prosecution made no objection to bail and Richards was granted $75,000 bail on each of the three charges.

The matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court and will continue next Friday.