Company discontinues fraud claims against 2

CLAIMS against two of eight defendants filed by a Tacarigua-based company seeking to recover $7 million in funds paid to a contractor for a construction project that allegedly did not materialise have been discontinued.

Notices of discontinuance were issued by attorneys for Advance Hose and Marketing Ltd, of Ridgewood Heights, Tacarigua, in favour of Brad Persad and Mitoonlal Persad. The notices were dated November 23, and signed by Advance Hose’s attorney, Karina Singh. Two banks were also removed from the claim.

The Persads were named in a lawsuit and freezing order application filed by the company, earlier this month. The freezing order was sought to freeze the account of attorney Varun Debideen. It was granted by Justice Frank Seepersad on November 1.

Debideen has since applied to have the freezing order discharged. The judge is expected to rule on the application on November 28.

Advanced Hose sought the freezing order, claiming it transferred $7 million to a contractor for a potential construction project.

The company first applied for disclosure of banking information which allegedly showed the transferring of sums of money to the attorney’s account and one of the other eight defendants named in the action.

The freezing injunction application named contractor Cordell Philbert, RBC Royal Bank TT, Brad Persad, Joash Ramjattan, Mitoonlal Persad, Debideen, Za Limity Engineering Consultancy and Scotiabank TT as the eight defendants.

Scotiabank is Debideen’s banker. Debideen has denied wrongdoing and said he was only following the instructions of his client, Ramjattan.

He said the money was transferred to his account by Philbert as a loan Philbert gave Ramjattan to pay a multi-million dollar judgment debt.

The Persads are represented by attorney Ryan Rajcoomar.