Health Minister testifies against man who attempted to obtain over $2M by impersonating her

Oct 18, 2019 News

As the trial continues for Mohamed Ali Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, yesterday appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to testify against the defendant.

Minister of Health Volda Lawrence

Charged Mohamed Ali

Ali is on trial before Magistrate Dylon Bess where he is accused of obtaining $2.1M worth in phone credit by falsely pretending to be Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence.
It is alleged that Mohamed Ali between October 5, 2018 and October 10, 2018, at Georgetown, obtained from Julius Belgrave, $2.1M worth in phone credit, by falsely pretending the phone credit was for Minister Volda Lawrence.
He first appeared for the offence in February of this year just one week after his father was arrested and charged for the same offence.
The father, Azad Ali, 57, a labourer, of Albouystown, denied the charge, which stated that, between October 5, 2018 and October 10, 2018, at Georgetown, he conspired with his son, and other persons unknown and obtained from Julius Belgrave, $2.1M worth in phone credit, by falsely pretending the credit was for the Minister.
Facts of the charges stated that the victim who is a businessman was contacted by someone who claimed to be Minister Lawrence. That individual requested of the victim to provide $2.1M in GTT phone credit for the Health Ministry.
The court heard the victim was communicating with persons who claimed to be the Minister and made arrangements for him to supply credit to the Ministry.
After some time, the victim went into the Ministry to inquire about his payment and there he learnt that the Minister was never involved in such agreement to provide her Ministry with phone credit.
Azad Ali is currently out on $100,000 bail while, Mohamed Ali is an inmate of the Camp Street Prison. This was after the defendant was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in 2015, when he was found guilty of fleecing several unsuspecting females, including an elderly woman and two school girls, of hundreds of thousands dollars worth in jewellery and electronic gadgets.
He was slapped with three counts of simple larceny and two counts of fraudulent conversion charges.
Two years later, while incarcerated, Ali defrauded three persons by impersonating First Lady, Sandra Granger, by falsely pretending that he was in a position to grant them scholarships.
He was sentenced to six months on each of the three charges, after changing his ‘not guilty’ plea to ‘guilty’ during the trial.