Three men who allegedly conspired to forge a Scotia Bank manager’s cheque and used it to obtain over $2.2M in plucked chicken from a woman and a man were yesterday granted bail when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Drepaul Persaud, a 38-year-old father of four of Angelet, Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara, was separately charged with two counts of uttering a forged document and two counts of obtaining by false pretence. He was jointly charged with Tazim Gafoor, a 37-year-old father of one of Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara and Nazir Gafoor Madhoo, a 39-year-old taxi driver of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.
The men appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson.
Persaud denied that on July 21 at Annandale, East Coast Demerara, and again at Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara, with intent to defraud he uttered to Nandrani Balram and then to Deo (only name on case jacket), forged Scotia Bank manager’s cheques for the sum of $1.1M in favour of Vigi Singh, knowing same to be false.
He denied that on the same day at Annandale and then at Non Pariel he obtained 3,135 pounds of plucked chicken valued $1,128,600 from Balram and then the same amount from Leo by falsely pretending that the forged cheques that he had issued to them were genuine, knowing this to be false.
Persaud, Gafoor and Madhoo all denied that between July 20 and 21 at West Bank of Demerara, they conspired with each other to obtain 3,135 pounds of plucked chicken from Balram and the same quantity from Deo by using the forged cheques.
Persaud’s lawyer Sasha Roberts applied for reasonable bail for him on the grounds that he is the sole breadwinner of his family, that he has no previous convictions in the courts and that he poses no risk of flight.
She said that her client had indicated to her that it was Gafoor and Madhoo who had given him the cheques to purchase the chicken but he did not know that they were forged.
She said that the men are business associates but Persaud stated that he met the men at a bar and they are friends.
Meanwhile, Gafoor and Madhoo’s lawyer Sonia Parag, in association with Hukumchand, applied for reasonable bail for them on the grounds that they both have fixed places of abode and they pose no risk of flight.
She said her clients maintain that they are innocent agents in the matters.
However, Balram who was present in court stated that Persaud had come to her and purchased the chicken with the cheque that she later discovered was forged.
Prosecutor Stephen Telford objected to the trio’s bail applications on the grounds of the seriousness of the offence and the manner in which they had committed it.
He noted that Persaud obtained over 6,000 pounds of chicken from Balram and Deo on the same day by uttering to them identical cheques.
The prosecutor went on to say that the police had difficulties in locating Persaud after he had found out that Gafoor and Madhoo had been arrested in relation to the offences. He added that Persaud may flee the jurisdiction if released.
Telford further stated that Persaud and Gafoor both have matters of a similar nature pending against them in Court Three and it was while on bail that they committed the present offences.
Telford requested that the court take note of the fact that Persaud had stated that the two other defendants gave him the cheques.
In Gafoor’s defence, Parag stated that the matter against him is a separate one and should not have any impact on these current charges.
Parag went on to say that Persaud’s stating that her clients gave him the cheques does not constitute evidence against them.
The magistrate then ordered that the trio appear at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court on September 10 for another hearing into the conspiracy charges against them.
She then ordered that Persaud appear at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on September 10 for the other matters against him.
