Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle on Wednesday remanded a 63-year-old man, who allegedly fraudulently converted $800,000 he received to purchase a car, when he appeared before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Peter Kissoon, also known as Ethelbert Harry, who told the court he lives at No. 79 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, pleaded not guilty to the charge of fraudulent conversion when it was read to him.
It is alleged that on June 19 in Georgetown being solely entrusted with $800,000 by Dennis Jones to buy a Toyota motor car Kissoon fraudulently converted the money to his own use.
Kissoon told the court that he lived at 56 Albert Street, No 79 Village; however, the prosecution said that there was no such street in that village.
According to the accused, he is a businessman who imports electronics from Suriname. He told the court that he was innocent and that he and his wife were previously before the court for a matter involving over 140 television sets. Kissoon said that he had to serve a sentence and had completed the sentence on May 26.
Kissoon told the court that he spoke perfect Spanish and the virtual complainant (VC) had used him to act as an interpreter. “I telling you the honest truth,” Kissoon told the magistrate. The prosecution requested that the man be refused bail. According to them, although they would rather not use the term “con artist”, that was what best described the accused. At this, Kissoon got upset and was then placed in the chute.
No. 79 Village, Berbice has no Albert Street, the prosecution informed the court, and they further said that the accused had previously provided the police with a New Amsterdam, Berbice address.
The VC told the court that he learnt through a friend that Kissoon brought cars from Suriname. He explained that he gave the man the stated sum of money. However, when asked by the magistrate if he had a receipt he said that he only had a withdrawal slip. “I believed him,” the VC said.
Magistrate Ogle said, “You don’t trust people with $800,000…how can you conduct such business without any document?” She subsequently refused Kissoon bail and transferred the matter to Court Five for August 11.
