THREE months after 31-year-old Jamal Gilbert of East Coast Demerara was charged with committing a series of criminal offence, he was on Thursday, December 12, 2019, fined $375,000, after changing his plea to guilty, before Magistrate Annette Singh.
Gilbert had denied the five charges when he made his first appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Gilbert had changed his plea from not guilty to guilty at the beginning of the trial. Hence, Magistrate Singh fined $75,000 on each of the charges.
Particulars of the first charge stated that, between January 1, 2019 and March 5, 2019, at Middle Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, forged an auditor’s report in favour of Total Medical Supplies Inc. purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

The second charge stated that, between January 1, 2019 and March 5, 2019, at Middle Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, forged an auditor’s report in favour of Midtown Hotel Restaurant and bar purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

The third charge stated that, on March 5, 2019, at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Camp Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, uttered to Reon Sobers, a clerk at GRA, a forged document, an auditor’s report in favour of Total Medical Supplies Inc. purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

It is alleged that, on March 5, 2019, at the Guyana Revenue Authority, Camp Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, uttered to Reon Sobers, a clerk at GRA, a forged document, an auditor’s report in favour of Midtown Hotel Restaurant and bar purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

The last charge stated that, on March 29, at the Criminal Investigation Department, Gilbert gave Police Lance Corporal Prince, a Public Officer, information orally, and in writing, which he knew to be false, thereby causing the said officer to use his lawful power to the annoyance of the person arrested.

Gilbert was represented by attorney-at-law Leslie Sobers.
According to reports, Drubahadur lodged a complaint at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, that he was in receipt of two audit reports which were signed by him and issued by his business and he had no knowledge of such documents.

As a result, an investigation was conducted and Gilbert was arrested. He told the police that D. Bahadur had given him the documents. D. Bahadur was subsequently arrested.
D. Bahadur denied giving Gilbert such documents. Gilbert then told the police that he did not receive the documents from D. Bahadur.
He was released on $100,000 bail.