Fraud trial to proceed against fmr GMC Manager, co-accused
Former General Manager of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Nizam Hassan and co-accused Felicia De’Souza-Madramootoo
Former General Manager of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Nizam Hassan and co-accused Felicia De’Souza-Madramootoo

Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, on Tuesday overruled a preliminary submission made by defence counsel, Everton Singh-Lammy, that the charge against his clients was faulty.

Engineer Hanniel Madramootoo

Former General Manager of the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC), Nizam Hassan and Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo, are charged with conspiracy to procure money to be paid by false pretence in November 2016. They are both on $250,000 bail each.

The charge is in relation to the approval of payments for low-graded rehabilitation works done on the GMC building at Robb Street, Georgetown. At a pervious hearing, the duo’s lawyer had addressed the court, where he noted that the charge is not a criminal one.
In his submission, he said, “Particulars of the offence are insufficient…statements of the charge disclose no criminal offence known to the law.”
However, in her ruling on Tuesday, the Chief Magistrate said that the charge is “as legal as it stands” and advised the Prosecutor to move ahead with trial.

The duo is charged under for procuring money to be paid by false pretence in Chapter 108, Section 195 of the Criminal Law Offence Act. The Act states that “everyone who by any false pretence cause or procures any money to be paid, or any chattel or valuable security to be

The GMC head office at Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda, Georgetown

delivered to any other person for the use of benefit or on account of the person making the false pretence or of any other person, with intent to defraud, shall be deemed to have obtained the Money, chattel, or valuable security within the meant of preceding section.”
Police are still to arrest the husband of DeSouza-Madramootoo, Hanniel Madramootoo; he is the project engineer within the Ministry of Agriculture.

His brother Philip Madramootoo and his friend Nizam Ramkissoon, both directors of Constantine Engineering and Construction Limited, have been jointly charged in connection with the same offense.
Prosecutor Deniro Jones on Tuesday requested an adjournment for a few weeks, so that the police could prepare a summons for the three other accused. It is believed that they fled to Trinidad.

The Magistrate however advised Jones that she will be adjourning the matter until March 8, 2017, for the administration of Justice Act to be applied and the statements to proceed with trial. The Prosecutor will also have to report on the status of the three accused and whether the charges will be dropped.

Hassan is currently being represented by attorney James Bond, while Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo is represented by attorney Glenn Hanoman. Charges were recommended against Hassan and the other persons after the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) completed its report into the investigations of the multi-million dollar construction of the GMC office building.

A forensic audit report submitted last year April by auditor, Saykar Boodhoo, had flagged the construction, citing several worrying things at GMC, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The forensic audit report was sent to Cabinet where it was decided that the findings of the report were serious enough to warrant a deeper investigation into not only the construction of the building, but also into the handling of hundreds of millions of dollars of fertilizers.

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