A 53-year-old man was granted bail with surety in the sum of $80,000, when he appeared before a Master of the High Court charged with Fraud.
Ernest Todd, of Dow Village, California, was charged with Uttering a Forged Document and Obtaining $40,000 by False Pretences, when he appeared before Master Shabiki Cazabon, on Thursday 15th August, 2024.
He was granted bail to cover both charges and instructed to report to the Couva Police Station one day per week, between 6 am and 6 pm.
The matter was postponed to September 19th 2024.
The victim, who was the occupier of two acres of agricultural land from Caroni (1975) Limited for the past 20 years, told police he was interested in getting the title moved to his name.
He says he met a man who allegedly informed him that he knew someone who was in a position to secure the necessary documentation.
The man then allegedly produced a certificate dated January 2000, in the name of the victim and which bore certain reference numbers and a signature purporting to be that of an official at Caroni (1975) Limited.
The victim accepted the certificate as being a genuine document and paid the man $40,000 for same. The victim later discovered the document was fraudulent and efforts to contact the suspect proved futile.
A report was made to the Fraud Squad and investigations launched into the matter.
An operation was coordinated by W/Snr. Supt. Phillips and Supt. Lutchman and led by Cpl (Ag.) Liverpool in the Couva district, on August 14th, 2024, which resulted in the apprehension of a male suspect in connection with the matter.
Todd was charged on that same date with the offences by Cpl (Ag.) Hernandez also of Fraud Squad.