Couva chemist on fraud charge

A 37-year-old chemist from Couva was granted $100,000 surety bail charged with four counts of obtaining property worth almost $8,000 by using dishonoured cheques.

A justice of the peace granted the bail to Ernesto Johnson after WPC Gowrie of the Fraud Squad charged him on Wednesday.

A police statement on Friday said Johnson, who is also a businessman, is to appear before an Arima magistrate on October 26.

The statement added that the victim reported to police that between October 5 and October 12 last year, he sold a quantity of self-adhesive stickers, together valued at $7,780.83, to the businessman.

It is alleged that the businessman handed over four cheques for varying amounts on different dates as payment.

The victim accepted the cheques for the stickers, but the bank returned them as dishonoured.

The statement said the victim asked for the goods to be returned, but that was not done.

The businessman also allegedly failed to honour the debt.

On Wednesday, Fraud Squad police launched an investigation, which led to the arrest.