A man, who three months ago was charged with forging audit reports and giving false information to the police, has been fined a total of $375,000 after pleading guilty to five charges.
Thirty-one-year-old, Jamal Gilbert of Ogle Front, East Coast Demerara, was slapped with five charges when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. He had denied the charges and was placed on $100,000 bail.
The Magistrate then transferred the matter to City Magistrate Annette Singh for trial.
However, at the beginning of the trial, Gilbert changed his not guilty pleas to guilty and was fined $75,000 for each of the offences.
The first charge stated that between January 1, 2019 and March 5, 2019 at Middle Street, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, he forged an auditor’s report in favour of Midtown Hotel Restaurant and Bar purporting to show that same 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, with intent to defraud, he forged an auditor’s report in favour of Total Medical Supplies Inc. purporting to show that same 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, with intent to defraud, he uttered to Reon Sobers, a clerk at GRA, a forged auditor’s report in favour of Total Medical Supplies Inc. purporting to show that same was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.
It was further alleged that on March 5, 2019 at the Guyana Revenue Authority, Camp Street, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, he uttered to Reon Sobers, a forged auditor’s report in favour of Midtown Hotel Restaurant and Bar purporting to show that same 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, he 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 information, Drubahadur went to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and reported that he was in receipt of two audit reports which had his signature purporting to show that they were issued by his business.
Drubahadur stated that he did not sign the documents and neither did his business ever issue any such documents.
As a result, an investigation was carried out and D. Bahadur was arrested. He then told ranks that it was Gilbert who forged the documents for him.
Further investigations were conducted and it was revealed that Gilbert was the one who forged Drubahadur signatures on the documents in question and later submitted same to GRA.
