Deeds Registrar charged with procuring $4.5M by false pretence

May 24, 2017 News

Acting Deeds and Commercial Registrar, Azeena Baksh, was ordered to post $250,000 bail after she pleaded not guilty to a charge which alleged that she obtained monies by false pretence.

Acting Deeds and Commercial Registrar, Azeena Baksh, who is pregnant, makes her way down the court stairs accompanied by her Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes.

The 30-year-old woman who resides at Lot 343 Eccles, East Bank Demerara was accompanied by her Attorneys-at-Law Nigel Hughes, Bibi Shadick and Priya Manickchand, when she appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday.
Particulars of the charge against her stated that while being a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) between May 1, 2014 and January 31, 2017, with intent to defraud, she caused or procured valuable securities to the sum of $4,534,480 to be delivered to her bank of Nova Scotia account #281469; or to her own use and benefit by falsely pretending she was a contracted employee of the Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority.
During a bail petition, Attorney Hughes argued that the charge against his client is misconceived.
In fact, Hughes requested for Baksh to be released on self bail given the fact that she has been fully cooperating with investigations.
According to the lawyer, his client had been out of self bail pending investigations.
Baksh is the daughter of Ali Baksh, former Junior Agricultural Minister under the previous administration of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic.
The court was further told by Hughes that Baksh has been a public servant for the past eight years and even though she has been charged, the JSC has not suspended her from the post. Baksh, who is in her last trimester of pregnancy, has been on medical leave for the past three weeks due to complications.
Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore had no objections to bail.
The prosecutor, however, requested that bail be granted to Baksh in a substantial amount. He also requested that the defendant lodge her passport with the court’s registry and report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, pending the outcome of the matter.
However, Hughes argued that the conditions the prosecutor requested to be attached to Baksh’s bail are “absolute abuse.”
The lawyer assured the court that the defendant has no intentions of fleeing the jurisdiction since she wants to vindicate herself.
Nevertheless, the Chief Magistrate ordered Baksh to lodge her passport and report to CID every Friday at 09:00hrs.
A charge of procuring monies to be paid by false pretence against Baksh was withdrawn in court yesterday based on advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
This matter is scheduled to be called on June 6, for the prosecution to serve statements and to produce the instrument supporting Baksh’s appointment as Acting Deeds and Commercial Registrar.
It was staffers at the Deed Registry that called upon the Ministry of Legal Affairs to investigate their complaints of alleged financial improprieties committed by Baksh.
The complaints were referred to the CID Headquarters through Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum. According to the Ministry, the Human Resource and Accounting Departments complained that as Head of the Budget Agency and sole person in authority to approve and sign off the payroll of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority and one of the main signatories on the Authority’s Bank Account, the Registrar unlawfully paid herself gratuity.
It is alleged that she did this knowing that she was a pensionable employee, having been appointed by the JSC.
”Registrar Baksh further unlawfully paid herself a higher salary than was approved by the JSC.”
The Ministry of Legal Affairs stated that the Deeds Registry officers have disclosed that these payments started since 2014 and continued up to early this year.
The Deeds Registry has also laid over with the Ministry of Legal Affairs, documents revealing that Baksh, out of revenue due, owing and payable to the Authority in or around the sum of $8.5M, unlawfully waived the sum of $7M upon the request of an Attorney-at-Law, who paid only the sum of $1.5M.

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