Contractor charged with forging compliance certificate

A 35-year-old contractor who allegedly forged a Certificate of Compliance was granted bail on Thursday when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Deodat Challu of Lot 119 Oleander Gardens, East Coast Demerara  pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit a felony.
He denied that he forged a Certificate of Compliance (document certified by a competent authority that the supplier of  goods or services meets the required specifications) for his company, Oleander Plant Hire and General Contractor Incor-porated, between October 28 last year and April 19 this year.

However, Challu’s lawyer Vic Puran applied for reasonable bail for him on the grounds that he is a father of four and he poses no risk of flight.

The lawyer said that he was the person who took Challu to the police station after he was informed that his client was being sought in relation to the case.

Puran also stated that from information received the police were looking for the accountant who did all the “paperwork” for the compliance.

He said that the accountant had disappeared since the matter had been discovered.

The magistrate subsequently granted Challu bail in the sum of $85,000 and ordered that he return to court on July 31.