Parish Court Judge, Maxine Ellis, has ruled that Dr. Perceval Bahado-Singh and Floyd Grindley both have cases to answer in the Petrojam fraud matter.
She handed down her ruling in the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday.
Dr. Bahado-Singh was the chairman of Petrojam, while Grindley was the General Manager.
They are jointly charged with conspiracy to defraud, fraudulent conversion, aiding and abetting fraudulent conversion, and obtaining valuable security by false pretence, contrary to the provisions of the Larceny Act.
Shaloy Smikle reports.
The ruling followed no case submissions made by their lawyers on Monday.
On Wednesday, Dr. Bahado-Singh delivered an un-sworn statement.
He stood in the dock for about an hour, declaring his innocence before the court.
Dr. Bahado-Singh is accused of claiming reimbursement for fraudulent overseas trips and meetings, amounting to more than 73-thousand-US-dollars.
He sought to give a detailed explanation of his time as Chairman of Petrojam and what led him to take up the post.
According to Dr. Bahado-Singh, he was offered the post while living and working permanently in the United States.
He was later appointed to the board in 2016.
Dr. Bahado-Singh said he felt compelled to serve in the country of his birth, given that he grew up in a children’s home funded by the state.
His voice cracked as he told the court that he was cared for and schooled by the state.
At that point, Dr. Bahado-Singh paused, held up his head, and sniffled. His eyes were watery.
He then attempted to regain his composure, resting one hand above the other on the dock.
Dr. Bahado-Singh continued, telling the court that the functions of Petrojam’s board flourished under his chairmanship. He said the members worked well together in the interest of the company.
He explained that he met Mr. Grindley when he applied for and received the post of general manager.
Dr. Bahado-Singh explained that communications from the board and individual directors went through the office of the general manager or the corporate secretary’s office.
He recalled a workshop in 2016, where he said the company revealed it was about to lose its biggest client.
Dr. Bahado-Singh explained that in an attempt to prevent this, a proposal was made that required him to travel frequently, both regionally and internationally.
Dr. Bahado-Singh told the court that he was never made aware of Circular 21.
Circular 21 outlines the rules regarding overseas travel and stipulates at which point the company would be responsible for making reimbursements for overseas travel.
Dr. Bahado-Singh says the business trips he took while serving Petrojam were paid for out of pocket.
He noted that the receipts were then sent to the office of the general manager for reimbursement, following the satisfaction of the chief financial officer.
He told the court that the process was transparent.
While wrapping up his statement, Dr. Bahado-Singh said, “Your honour, I did not know about Circular 21. I never conspired with Mr. Grindley. I never acted dishonestly and never misappropriated any of Petrojam’s money. I am innocent.”
The trial will resume Thursday morning at 10.
Credit: Source link