After months of trial in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for allegedly embezzling $11M from customers, Priya Lall, a former travel agent attached to Muneshwer’s Travel Agency, walked out of court a free woman after all the charges against her were dismissed.
Lall was on trial before Senior Magistrate’s Dylon Bess. The charge against Lall had stated, that while being a clerk or servant at Muneshwer’s Travel Agency Limited, she fraudulently embezzled US$51,810, equivalent to G$11,190,960, which she took into her possession between September 8, 2017 and October 19, 2017, at Water Street, Georgetown.
After months of trial, the Magistrate ruled that, after perusing the entirety of the evidence of the prosecution’s witnesses, he was not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Lall fraudulently embezzled the monies. Hence, he dismissed the matter on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
According to information, Lall was employed as a travel agent with Muneshwer’s and was paid the various sums of money by persons for two-way tickets to the United States.
However, the customers travelled to the United States and later called the company to inquire about their return flights. They were told that no such flights were booked. This resulted in them having to seek alternative means to return to Guyana.
The matter was then reported and checks with immigration revealed that Lall had left the country on October 21, 2017. She later returned and was charged for the offence. She was out on $300,000 bail pending the hearing and determination of the trial.
