Magistrate vows to complete Vicky’s cases by January

THE magistrate in the preliminary inquiry into cruise-ship fraud charges against Vicky Boodram and ex-husband Ravi Arjoonsingh, says she intends to complete the case by the end of January.

Senior Magistrate Cherril-Ann Antoine continued the hearing on Wednesday last week in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court when the State tendered a witness statement and said there will be several more.

Along with the statement which special prosecutor Elaine Green tendered, copies of three cheques for $124,000, $109,000 and $99,000, were exhibited. The cheques were allegedly made out by one of the alleged victims, Janice Solomon.

Green asked Antoine to issue summonses to three witnesses who the prosecution intends to have testify.

They are Republic bank supervisor Denise Boodram and former police Insps Taradath Singh and Martin Pagoo. They will be subjected to cross-examination by attorney Jagdeo Singh who is representing Arjoonsingh, and Boodram’s attorney, Jeevan Andrew Rampersad.

Singh and Rampersad had objected to certain evidence on several filed witness statements the State filed, but last week Antoine overruled them.

Boodram and Arjoonsingh are facing 101 charges of allegedly defrauding people of $1.3 million paid to Boodram’s Travel and Ship Ahoy Cruise Ltd, of La Romaine, for non-existent cruise-ship packages. Acting Sgt Vinelle Bassarath of the Fraud Squad laid the charges.

Antoine, who started the inquiry in April, adjourned hearing to January 21 and told attorneys that she would like to complete the inquiry by the end of that month.