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Following allegations of embezzlement …Former Bar Association President pays $20M to plaintiff
Former President of the Guyana Bar Association, Gem Sanford-Johnson, is contending that she has paid all the monies owed to US-based Guyanese, Elsa Eileen Harper, from the sale of a property belonging to the woman.
Former President of the Guyana Bar Association Gem Sanford –Johnson
Sanford–Johnson had been implicated in allegations of misappropriating some $32M which she acquired from the sale of a property belonging to Harper.
Harper, whose estate is represented by Eileen O’Brien and Jesse Stein, attorneys-at-law practising in the State of Maryland, United States of America, had filed a lawsuit against the former Bar Association President. The matter was filed through Attorney-at-law, Ronald Burch-Smith.
According to court documents, seen by this newspaper, Sanford-Johnson was appointed Power of Attorney of Harper’s property after the woman, who is unmarried and has no children, suffered a stroke and became incapacitated.
As a result, Sanford-Johnson was instructed by Harper to sell immovable property owned by her at 246 Forshaw Street, Queenstown, Georgetown. Following this, Sanford-Johnson entered into an agreement of sale for the property to Paul Daby Jr. and Michelle Daby for the sum of $35M on June 15, 2015.
The claim also states that the transport for the property was passed to the purchasers on November 2, 2015 and the lawyer received the payment in full. Further, around July 2015, it is alleged that Sanford –Johnson wired to the plaintiffs the sum of US$11,838.81.
It is also alleged that since around August 2015, she failed and or refused to communicate with the plaintiffs about the balance of the proceeds of sale or to provide an account to the plaintiffs.
However in her most recent defence, Sanford –Johnson contended that she has handed over some $20 Million to offset payments in lawsuit. According to the legal papers seen by Kaieteur News, the attorney claimed that a cheque for $15 million was handed to Harper’s lawyer on February 17, 2017, and a final payment of $5.1 million was made on April 18, 2017.
In her initial defence, Sanford-Johnson denied each and every statement and allegation made against her. She noted that after wiring the initial sum, she travelled to the US, but efforts made to reach the ailing woman to settle the balance proved futile.
Additionally, the attorney said that she was contacted by O’Brien and Stein, who claimed to be representatives of the woman’s estate but she transacted no business with them, since she was unable to reach Harper. Sanford-Johnson also said that it was always her intention to pay over the sum acquired from the sale of the property but there was complication with the sale.
Meanwhile, this newspaper understands that the crux of the matter is that Sanford-Johnson entered into an agreement of sale to a gentleman named Jones for $25 million.
That agreement was rescinded and the property resold to the final buyers for $35million.
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