Five men yesterday appeared before Acting Chief Magis-trate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer the charge of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Wilfred Macheo, 19, of 12 Paradise, East Coast Demerara; Steven Gangadeen, 18, of 165 Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD); Deodat Narine Rampersaud, 21, of 199 Grove Housing Scheme, EBD; Saisnarine Rampersaud, 22, of 199 Grove Housing Scheme, EBD, and 38-year-old Manniram Behari, a carpenter of 153 Grove Housing Scheme, EBD, all pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them.
Macheo, Gangadeen, Deodat Narine Rampersaud and Saisnarine Rampersaud were former tellers of Republic Bank Limited.

Wilfred Macheo

Macheo, Gangadeen, Narine Rampersaud and Saisnarine Rampersaud were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony. It is alleged that between April 29 and May 2 at Georgetown, with intent to commit a felony, they conspired with a person or persons known or unknown to obtain $50,000 by forging one Republic Bank withdrawal slip knowing same to be false. They also allegedly between April 30 and May 2 at Georgetown, with intent to commit a felony, conspired with a person or persons known or unknown to obtain $200,000 by forging one Republic Bank withdrawal slip knowing same to be false.

Macheo, Gangadeen and Narine Rampersaud were further charged with five counts of conspiracy to commit a felony along with Behari who was charged with one count of the said offence which stated that between April 24 and May 6 at Georgetown, with intent to commit a felony, they conspired with a person or persons known or unknown to obtain $200,000 by forging one

Republic Bank withdrawal slip knowing same to be false.

Attorneys-at-Law Mishka Puran and Tanya Worrel who represented the defendants made an application for bail to be granted in reasonable sums on the grounds that their clients have been fully cooperative with the police in their investigations, posed no risk of flight, had had no previous convictions or brushes with the law and had been previously placed on station bail in the sum of $50,000 each.

Steven Gangadeen

Manniram Behari

The attorneys added also that Macheo, Gangadeen and Narine Rampersaud had repaid the sum of $1.1M to Republic Bank. Puran and Worrel told the court, however, that the decision of these three to make payments to the bank was not because of guilt related to the charges laid against them but rather to save themselves the embarrassment of being before the courts.

Police Prosecutor Denise Griffith had no objection to the bail application.

Deodat Narine Rampersaud

Saisnarine Rampersaud

Macheo, Gangadeen, and Narine Rampersaud were all placed on bail in the sum of $680,000 each while Saisnarine Rampersaud was placed on $170,000 bail. Meanwhile, Behari was granted $85,000 bail. They are to return to court on June 24.