Conspiracy case against Abubakir and Atta Sankar called up yesterday…
SPECIAL Prosecutor Mr. Bernard De Santos, S.C., is appearing for the State in the Conspiracy to defraud case against Abubakir Abdel Bari and Atta Sankar which was called up for hearing before Justice James Bovell-Drakes at the Demerara Assizes yesterday.

After the accused failed to answer their names, Mr. De Santos, for the Prosecution, told the court that information had reached him to the effect that the accused were out of the country and that the State would be proceeding against Abubakir alone in his absence.

At this stage, Attorney-at-Law Mr. Nigel Hughes indicated that he was representing Abubakir, on whose behalf he was offering an apology for his absence.

He declared that the prosecution knew full well that the accused had gone overseas for medical treatment and asked that the Court be adjourned to Thursday 22nd October when his client is expected to be in Guyana.

Mr. De Santos said he had no objection to the adjournment to 22nd adding that counsel’s assertion that the prosecution had known that the accused had gone overseas for medical attention was ill founded, for if such was the case, he (De Santos) would have been notified.

De Santos noted that the ‘pigeons’ might have bought the message about medical attention.

The conspiracy to defraud, contrary to common law charge, accuses Abubakir Abdel Bari and Atta Sankar with having between the 12 day of December 1992 and August 1993 in the County of Demerara of conspiring together and with each other and with other persons to defraud the trustees and beneficiaries of immovable properties situated at Lot 250 Foreshaw and Oronoque Streets, Queenstown, Georgetown, falsely and dishonestly:

(a) Signing and executing trust deed No. 98/93 in purported capacities as chairman and secretary respectively of the Islamic Call Society.

(b) Reciting in the said trust deed No. 98/93 that the said Islamic Call Society had on the 10th February 1984 by resolution discharged the trustees in whom the said properties were vested by transports 499/50, No. 57/82 and No. 36/82 and had appointed the said Atta Sankar and the said Abubakir Abdel Bari as the new trustees.

(c) Filing affidavits of vendor and purchaser in the Deeds Registry purporting to show that on the 12 December, 1992 the said properties were sold by the said Atta Sankar to Abubakir Adel Bari for $5,000,000 Guyana currency.

(d) Causing the said properties to be transferred and vested ‘y’ transport No. 915A/93 in the said Abdel Bari.

(e) Signing Transport No. 915A/93 as trustees of the said properties.

(f) Causing to be made documents purporting to show that payments were made by the said Abubakir Abdel Bari towards the purchase of the said properties.

Further hearing of the matter is fixed for Thursday October 22.