San Fernando attorney charged with fraud

SAN FERNANDO attorney Ravi Gooljar appeared before a magistrate a short while ago charged with fraud relating to non-payment of stamp duties involving land and property transactions.

Gooljar, 59, of Gulf View, La Romaine, who has 33 years in practice, appeared before senior magistrate Cherril-Ann Antoine who read to him a charge that on May 14, 2014, at the Registrar General Office, Port of Spain, he uttered a deed which bore a false stamp duty for $55,750 purported to have been paid on a property valued $2.8 million.

And on the same day, he is alleged to have committed the same act in relation to payment of $222,554 on a $4.2 million property.

Antoine read another charge to Gooljar that he cheated the public revenue of $48,250 in stamp duty on a $1.8 million property.

The charges stemmed from months of investigations by the Fraud Squad and culminated with Gooljar, whose law offices are located at the back of the police station, giving himself up to police at the charge room early this morning.

Antoine told Gooljar that he was remanded into custody in relation to the charges.

However, attorney Charlene Kalloo pleaded with the magistrate to read the Port of Spain charges and grant the attorney bail. Antoine said the summons for the defendant in relation to those charges recommended that no bail be granted upon arrest.

Kalloo pressed on with her plea saying Gooljar was not a flight risk and is a father of three children. Prosecutor Cleyon Seedan said he had no objection to bail being granted, but asked the magistrate to impose conditions.

Antoine granted Gooljar $600,000 bail to cover all the charges and ordered that he surrender his passport and report to the police weekly.

He will appear tomorrow in the Port of Spain magistrates' court and in San Fernando again on Friday.