– would feel safer sleeping in prison
An auto dealer who was reportedly unable to honour his obligation of supplying vehicles to his clients after receiving payments from them was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared before acting Chief Magi-strate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court accused of a multi-million dollar fraud.
The allegation is that between March 19 and August 18 at Georgetown, Robert Allan Gates of 30 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, with intention to defraud, obtained from Thadius Khani, Jermain Mason, Romeo Barrington Randolph, Seerani, Urian Da Silva, Yonette Moses, Chandrika Arjune, Christopher Mc Adam, Delson Thorington, Ovid Adams, Imran Mohamed Ally, Otto Mitchelle and Mark Anthony Lewis the sum of $7.6M by falsely pretending that he was in a position to acquire motor vehicles for the said virtual complainants knowing same to be false.
The 53-year-old defendant was not required to plead to thirteen counts of the indictable charge of obtaining money by false pretence when it was read to him by the acting chief magistrate.
In his response to the court, Gates whose attorney was absent at the time the matter was called, asked the magistrate to be allowed a submission in his own defence of not more than three minutes.
Granted that opportunity, the accused told the court that all the transactions made between him and his clients were of a contractual nature and his business is a reputable, registered one, adding that he has an approved dealership licence from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
In his submission, the accused who said that he has been in the auto business for nine years explained that he transacts the business of importing Japanese vehicles for clients here via his supplier Randolph Singh who is based in Queens, New York.
He said that the arrangement which is a legal, contractual one allows him to make payments collected by clients to Singh who would later export the vehicles to Guyana. Gates said that in the last two weeks, he had made payments totalling $10M to Singh for the release of vehicles for the virtual complainants but has since been unable to locate or contact his supplier. The accused said that prior to this breakdown in communication with Singh, the supplier had been making several excuses in relation to having the vehicles shipped to Guyana.
Gates who stood calmly throughout the proceedings told the court that after realizing that something was amiss by constantly being unable to contact his supplier, he made a written complaint to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) explaining the issues he began encountering. He said further that he intends to submit that complaint on his next court appearance as he was not in possession of a copy at yesterday’s hearing.
Gates who acknowledged having an obligation to his clients did not deny receiving monies from them but said that his transactions were all legal in nature and there was no intention on his part to defraud anyone.
He said that he did not wish to make a bail application as he would feel safer sleeping at the Camp Street prison.
The accused said also that he preferred making restitution of a civil nature at the High Court as opposed to a criminal one at the Magistrate’s Court, as there are several injustices he is likely to encounter in the lower courts.
The defendant said that he is anxious to vindicate his name of the charges levelled against him and is willing to refund his clients at the earliest time possible.
Gates said that he has supplied vehicles for a number of reputable organisations and persons including government ministries.
Attorney-at-law Joe Misir who represented the defendant came into the courtroom some minutes after the charges had already been read to the accused. He made an unsuccessful attempt to have the charges re-read to his client. The magistrate however informed the lawyer that she was not going to read the thirteen charges again and they all stemmed from obtaining money by false pretence.
When given a chance to respond, the virtual complainants expressed their desire to be reimbursed the monies they had paid to the defendant.
Gates was later remanded to prison and ordered to return to court on September 7.
