ATEEKA Ishmael, who along with her husband are before the courts on over 100 fraud charges in relation to an alleged Ponzi scheme operation in Guyana, was, on Friday, granted $200,000 bail for allegedly forging a COVID-19 test result.

Ishmael, who is the wife of Cuban, Yuri Garcia Dominguez, appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on one count of conspiracy to commit fraud.

The woman denied that on July 27, at Georgetown, she conspired with persons known and unknown to forge a COVID-19 test to show that she was positive.

Her attorney, Darren Wade, filed an application for reasonable bail. Magistrate Daly later released her on $200,000 bail and adjourned the matter until September 10.

The Guyana Chronicle had previously reported that the police recently instituted 60 new charges against the couple who are out on bail. However, after they failed to appear at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to answer to the new charges, their then attorney, Dexter Todd, produced two medical certificates purporting to show that they had tested positive for the deadly virus.

The medical certificates later became the subject of a police investigation during which it was discovered that both were forged. It is unclear why no charge was laid in relation to the other certificate.

The couple is accused of soliciting millions of dollars from hundreds of Guyanese who were enticed by extraordinary returns of approximately 40 per cent. Investors were also encouraged to enlist additional investors on a commission (10 per cent) from the couple’s business, Accelerated Capital Firm Inc.

The firm was not registered with the Guyana Securities Council to conduct financial business either as an investment adviser and/or a broker.

The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act Cap. 10:11 prohibits businesses from operating as financial institutions, without the necessary registration for regulation and supervision by the Regulatory Authorities, FIU and Guyana Securities Council.

Dominguez, his wife and their company have been in the limelight since early August 2020, when they were accused of running a ponzi scheme. Over 17,000 persons allegedly invested more than US$20 million in the company.

The couple was arrested in August and released on bail totalling over $30 million after appearing in various courts on dozens of charges.