Two GRA clerks among four charged in $19.4M fraud

Two clerks attached to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were among four men who were arraigned before City Magistrate, Leron Daly, on Friday for allegedly conspiring with each other to forge $19.4M worth in cheques in the name of the state agency.

Randi Gladstone, 38; Leroy Green, a 26-year-old accountant of Williams Street, Kitty; Ivor Dowridge, 26, of Second Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara; and Tooqwan Clarke, 25 of West Ruimveldt Georgetown, both employees of GRA, were not required to plea to the two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.

The two charges alleged that Gladstone, between October 28, 2020, and May 11, 2021, conspired with Green, Dowridge, Clarke, Romeschand Singh, Komalram Persaud, Devindra Moteeram, Anush Khan, Shareesa Tappin and others to forge two Bank of Guyana cheques, purporting that these were issued by the GRA’s Internal Revenue Department.

One was dated April 9, 2021, and was made out to the value of $9,550,000, while the other was dated April 20, 2021, and was made out to the value of $9,875,000.

Green, Dowridge and Clarke, were each released on $600,000 bail each while Prosecutor Richard Harris objected to Gladstone being granted bail since he has a similar matter before the court, which was committed on the Ministry of Business.

The Magistrate remanded Gladstone to prison and adjourned the matter until July 2, 2021.

On Tuesday, Singh, Persaud, Moteeram, Khan and Tappin were charged with the same offence before Magistrate Daly. Singh, Persaud, Moteeram, and Khan on $600,000 bail each with the condition that they report to Assistant Superintendent Caesar every other Monday until the hearing and determination of the trial. However, the Magistrate remanded Tappin to prison since she is currently serving a sentence.