South businessman charged with fraud

VASHTEE ACHIBAR

A south businessman is expected to appear in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ court this morning charged with obtaining hundreds of thousands of US dollars by false pretence. The 39-year-old Barrackpore man, the managing director of a poultry company, was arrested by Fraud Squad members after he disembarked an American Airlines flight at Piarco International Airport upon his return from the US on Saturday. Sources said the businessman obtained US$200,000 which was wire-transferred into his foreign account in the US from a financial institution in Antigua, by advancing TT$1.6 million via three fraudulent managers’ cheques from financial institutions in TT.

Acting DPP Joan Paul Honore gave instructions late yesterday evening to initiate prosecution against the the man. The investigation was led by head of the Fraud Squad Snr Supt Totaram Dookhie and included ASP Kent Ghisiyawan, Insps Ramdhanie and Griffith , Insp Cudjoe, Sgt Badree and Cpl Bassarath. The charge was laid by PC O’ Brian.