Former Gold Board employee acquitted of stealing from entity

Dec 01, 2016 News

FREED: Ronald Singh

Ronald Singh, a former laboratory technician, at the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) who was charged back in February for stealing a gold bar valued over $2M from the company, was yesterday freed of the offence, after a no-case submission was upheld by Magistrate Judy Latchman.

The ‘no case to answer to’ was presented by his lawyer George Thomas.

Singh was acquitted of the charge without having to lead a defence.

It was alleged that on February 19, at Brickdam, Georgetown, Singh, 30, of 161 Hibiscus Avenue ‘AA’ Eccles, East Bank Demerara, stole 8.9 ounces of gold worth $2,153,034 from the GGB.

Yesterday, Magistrate Latchman dismissed the case after ruling that Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves had failed to provide evidence to support that the gold was the property of the GGB. During the trial, the Magistrate said that there was no proper identification evidence led as it relates to a stamp or mark on the gold bar to prove that it indeed belonged to the Gold Board. Magistrate Latchman also stated that there was no receipt to confirm that the GGB purchased the gold from a miner.

During his closing submission, Prosecutor Gonsalves contended that the prosecution had proven all elements of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt. And as such, the court must call on Singh to lead a defence. He said that on the day in question, Singh carried away the gold, movable property of the GGB.

According to the Prosecutor, Singh intended to deprive the GGB of the valuable item.

However, the Magistrate stated that although Singh told police that the gold was in his bag, which was inside a locker. There was no evidence to support that he placed the gold in his bag.

Based on court facts, the manager of the GGB noticed that a bar of gold was missing from the laboratory and summoned the police. Investigations were launched and staffers of the company’s laboratory were questioned. Acting on information, police contacted Singh, who handed over the gold bar to them.

It was revealed in court that Singh began working at the GGB in 2013 as a second lab technician. Prior to the end of this trial, Singh had been out on $200,000 bail.