General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Nizam Hassan has proceeded on leave pending the outcome of a fraud case for which he appeared before the courts earlier this week.

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, confirmed on Thursday that Hassan applied for leave and was granted permission by the board of directors of the GRDB to proceed on leave. Additionally, reports indicate that Hassan will not return to work after his one-week, granted leave. He will remain off the job pending the outcome of the court matter.

“I had asked them and they told me Hassan applied for leave and it has been granted”, Holder told reporters at the Georgetown Marriot Hotel on Thursday. He said that as it is, someone should be considered innocent until being proven guilty in response to questions regarding the court matter.

Hassan was placed before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday to answer fraud charges, along with several others. The act was allegedly committed at the NGMC, the entity which he once headed and follows the findings of a forensic audit. The investigation into that matter is being undertaken by the Special Organsied Crimes Unit (SOCU).

Appearing before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday, Hassan and Felicia DeSouza-Madramootoo, a St George’s Secondary School teacher, stood accused of conspiring with others to approve payments for Constantine Engineering and Construction Limited of Trinidad and Tobago for substandard work done on the GMC building, knowing the work done was poor.

DeSouza-Madramootoo’s husband, Hanniel Madramootoo, project engineer within the Ministry of Agriculture, his brother Philip Madramootoo and his friend Nizam Ramkisson, both directors of Constantine Engineering and Construction Limited, have been jointly charged in connection with the same fraud allegation. However, the latter three defendants were not present in court, since they have since fled to Trinidad. This has caused the Chief Magistrate to issue an arrest warrant for their arrest.

Hassan is also being investigated for his role in a $600M fertilizer project in which financial improprieties were uncovered by the forensic audit conducted by Boodhoo. The transactions for the programme occurred under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration back in 2008. The issue was flagged following the forensic audit.

“It (fertilizer programme) is all part of the same investigation”, Holder said, noting that the issue also involved the previous permanent secretary and decisions made at the time by the previous administration.

The matter involved the procurement of urea for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and farmers under an arrangement in which the NGMC, headed by Hassan at the time, played an administrative role.  GuySuco and farmers do not fall under the mandate of the NGMC. The audit report which was conducted by Saykar Boodhoo , indicated by Hassan was incorporative while the audit of the fertilizer programme was being cross- checked. Hassan and Felicia DeSouza-Madramootoo were released duo on $250,000 each, and ordered that they each report to the SOCU headquarters every Friday until the case has been determined. The matter stands adjourned until December 7, since the prosecution file is still incomplete.