A former sales supervisor of Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL) yesterday appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson to answer 88 charges against her.
Among the charges are 44 larceny cases and 44 falsification of account cases and she pleaded not guilty to each of the charges.
It was alleged that between January 2007 and December 2008, 39-year-old Nafeeza Hafeez of 58 Parker Street, Providence, East Bank Demerara stole money from Toolsie Persaud Limited and falsified accounts to the value of $48,490,063.
Hafeez was also charged jointly with ten counts of conspiracy to defraud. It was alleged that between January 2007 and December 2008 Hafeez and another employee of TPL, Ramkumar Shivnauth, with intent to defraud, conspired with others unknown to defraud the company. Hafeez was not required to plead to the charges at the time until Shivnauth makes his appearance in court.
According to their lawyer Vic Puran efforts will be made to have Shivnauth in court today.
Additionally, Hafeez was also charged jointly with another employee; this time an office supervisor of the company with 11 counts of falsification of accounts to the value of $38,490,000.
It was alleged that between August 2007 and January 2008, Hafeez and 35-year-old Parmeshwar Singh of 50 Ocean View, Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara falsified the accounts of TPL. They both pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Hafeez, a mother of two, stood before Magistrate Robertson for about three and a half hours listening to charges being read to her. The magistrate had to be supplied with a bottle of water as she read the lengthy list of cases.
When the reading of the charges was finally over, Hafeez was placed on $6M bail and Singh on $1M. Their cases have been adjourned until today.
Puran has indicated that today he will make an application for the reduction of bail for his clients. According to him, it is impossible for his clients to have walked out of the compound of TPL with all the amounts they are accused of having stolen.
