West Berbice man guilty of stealing over $13M from former employer

A West Coast Berbice man was on Thursday found guilty of embezzlement and larceny after stealing more than $13 million from his former employer.

Hemraj Singh Pahalad, of Number 11 Village, was convicted following a trial at the Berbice High Court before Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty.

The court heard that between February 12 and 16, 2013, Pahalad—who worked as a clerk or servant for businessman Ramdial Ramoutar—fraudulently obtained over $3 million collected on behalf of his employer.

Additionally, during the same period, he was found guilty of embezzling a further $3,071,500, bringing the total proven cash theft to over $6 million.

The court also found that between February 2 and 16, 2013, Pahalad stole large quantities of flour belonging to his employer, including hundreds of bags of various types, with a total value of $10,127,995.

Combined, the offences resulted in losses exceeding $13 million.

Although Pahalad pleaded not guilty to all three charges, a jury found him not guilty on one embezzlement count, but guilty on the second embezzlement charge and the larceny charge.

Following the verdict, Justice Kumar-Chetty revoked his bail and remanded him to prison pending sentencing on April 30.

The court has also requested a probation report, victim impact statement, and submissions on aggravating and mitigating factors by April 21.

Pahalad is represented by Attorney-at-Law Charlyn Artiga, while the State is represented by Marisa Edwards.