RAMPS head released on $500K bail over alleged false declarations to GRA

City Magistrate Leron Daly on Friday released the Head of Ramps Logistics Shaun Rampersad on $500,000 bail for ten charges of false declarations made over the past two years to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Rampersaud, whose stated address is Windsor Estates, East Bank Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charges; he was represented by attorney Nigel Hughes.

Particulars of the charges alleged that the logistics company between 2021 and 2022, at Georgetown, made 10 false declarations on applications presented to a customs officer for tax exemptions on several items.

The court heard that Ramps allegedly falsely declared that it was the seller of said items which includes heavy-duty equipment, and chemical compounds among others.

The charges were instituted by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA’s) Law Enforcement and Investigations Division following an investigation.

Hughes made an application for self-bail on the ground that his client has strong ties to Guyana and has an unblemished record.

Rampersaud, he said, has personal assets in Guyana and overseas and does not pose a flight risk.

Among other things, Hughes said that Rampersaud was out of the jurisdiction and returned yesterday to defend the company’s name.

Magistrate Daly granted Rampersaud bail in the sum of $50,000 on each count and adjourned the matter until November 25.

In a separate case, Ramps is currently before the High Court seeking a judicial review over the denial by the Local Content Secretariat to grant the company a local content certificate.

The respondents in the case are the Minister of Natural Resources, the Local Content Secretariat (LCS), and the Attorney General.

In its lawsuit, the logistics company that migrated from Trinidad is contending that the State’s decision to deny its application for entry on the Local Content Register and non-issuance of the Certificate of Local Content Registration, is “unlawful, unreasonable and arbitrary.”

As such, the company is seeking several court orders, including an order compelling the Government to issue the certificate and register it in the LCS.

This case will come up for arguments before Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George on November 11.