Chief Valuation Officer faces charges over false property valuation

Julian Barrington, the Chief Valuation Officer, appeared before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning to answer to charges filed by the Fraud Division of the GRA.

Barrington, a resident of Block III Providence, East Bank Demerara, stood before Magistrate Faith McGusty.

He is charged under Section 111(1)(b)(i) of the Income Tax Act, Chapter 81:01, for allegedly assisting in the creation of a fraudulent property valuation.

According to the charge, on or around February 19, 2024, at Lot 237 Camp Street, Cummingsburg, Georgetown, Barrington helped produce a falsified Certificate of Value for a property located at Lot 129, Area “L” Lusignan, East Coast Demerara. The certificate in question falsely claimed that the property had been developed, excavated of topsoil, sand-filled, and levelled, when in fact, it had not.

The case has raised questions about the integrity of the property valuation process and the potential consequences for those involved in such fraudulent activities.