KN publisher served with tax evasion summons

Kaieteur News owner Mohan ‘Glenn’ Lall and his wife Bhena were on Wednesday served with several summonses to appear in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday to answer charges related to tax evasion.

The matters which were filed by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) stemmed from ongoing investigations into an alleged duty free remigrant racket. It is unclear how widespread the investigation may be or whether GRA officers allegedly involved have been identified.

According to the summonses seen by Stabroek News, the Lalls of Lindley Avenue, Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara are jointly accused of two counts of having `knowingly dealt with goods, with intent to defraud the revenue of duties’. The Lalls have also been jointly accused along with Narootandeo Brijnanan and his wife Gharbassi with two counts of being `knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of import duties of Customs’. The Brijnanans address was listed as No. 61 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

All the charges relate to the importation of two Lexus LX 570 vehicles by the Brijnanans.

Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur is listed as the complainant.

According to the summonses which were signed by Magistrate for the Georgetown Magisterial District, Magistrate Judy Latchman and dated September 25, 2014 the Lalls between June 18 2013 and August 30, 2014 at Lot 110 Regent Street and at Lot 24 Saffon Street, both Georgetown addresses knowingly dealt with goods with intent to defraud the revenue of duties for two Lexus vehicle with registration number PRR 8399 and PRR 8398 contrary to Section 218 (d) of the Customs Act Chapter 82:01.

The vehicles based on what this newspaper was told were seen parked in front of a Regent Street business operated by Bhena and in front of the Kaieteur News.

According to the what was seen by this newspapers on the court orders the Lalls along with the Brijnanans between June 18, 2013 and September 21, 2013 together with others unknown at Lot 200-201 Camp Street were knowingly concerned, aided and abetted each other in the fraudulent evasion of the import duties of customs due and payable to the Revenue Authority on the two vehicles.

The Camp Street address is that of the GRA headquarters. Meanwhile, Mohan Lall in an invited comment yesterday told Stabroek News that there is “nothing to fight about. I will appear and let the world see what the turn Guyana has taken with these trump up charges”.

He said that the court official arrived and identified himself as the chief marshal and just presented the summonses to him.

Asked if he was disappointed at the way GRA handled the matter given the fact he was served two weeks after the complaints against him were filed in court, Lall said that “Guyana has been seeing that they have institute (GRA) charges (and) they have been trying this whole issue in the Chronicle and the Guyana Times and that is how I am being informed of what is taking place”.

Asked if he is confident that the matter will be tried fairly, he responded that he does not want to go down that road as he does not want to believe that justice will not be served. He said if this happens “it will be the last day, the doom. It will be doomsday for Guyana if the judiciary takes sides”.

He was adamant that the matter is a political one and he said that this is the latest attempt to “muzzle and close the entity (Kaieteur News) down because of the stand that the newspaper has taken, the exposure that we have been giving to the nation”.

“No amount of charges, no amount of threats can stop me from doing what I have to do for the people of Guyana”, he said.