Engineer arrested at CJIA, charged in GMC fraud case

The Director of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited based in Trinidad and Tobago was on Wednesday charged with conspiring with others to approve payments for substandard works to the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) building on Robb and Alexander Streets, Georgetown.

Hanniel Madramootoo, 35, of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara was arrested early Wednesday morning at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport after he was blacklisted in 2016.

He is charged jointly with his brother Phillip Madramootoo and Nizam Ramkissoon, all Directors of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited.

Police Prosecutor, Richard Harris told the court that efforts were made with the Trinidad and Tobago Government for the defendant to be arrested and deported to Guyana.

However, the defendant was in hiding, Harris explained.

Hanniel Madramootoo appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly and arrest warrants have been issued for the other two co-accused.

The charge read that  between October 28, 2010 and April 25, 2012, Madramootoo conspired with his wife Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo, Phillip Madramootoo, Nizam Ramkissoon and General Manager  of  GMC, Nizam Hassan to commit the offence by continuously approving payments which were made to the contractor of the engineering firm for works that were incompetently and incorrectly done with inferior materials to rehabilitate the GMC building, knowing that such works should not have been approved.

In 2016, Nizam Hassan, and Felecia De Souza-Madramooto were charged and tried for the offence before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan since the other defendants were not in the jurisdiction.

This case, however, was dismissed in October 2017 due to the lack of evidence.

Madramootoo’s attorney Glen Hanoman pleaded with the court for his client to be released on self-bail since the charge is a civil one.

However, Prosecutor Harris objected on the grounds that the defendant poses as a flight risk.

After much debate, the Magistrate released, Madramootoo on $500,000 bail and transferred the matter to the Chief Magistrate for June 29.

He was also ordered to lodge all travel documents at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.