Fraudster who received presidential pardon back in court for similar charges

Oct 09, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Forty-seven-year-old Khemwattie Ramnauth who was pardoned by former President, David Granger, in 2017 for serving a sentence on fraud-related charges was back in court again facing charges for similar offences.

Charged, Khemwattie Ramnauth.

Ramnauth, of Lot 51 Public Road, Grove, East Bank Demerara, appeared yesterday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Dylon Bess to answer to the charges of forgery and obtaining money under false pretense.
The first charge states that between February 20, 2020 and August 24, 2020, with the intent to defraud, Ramnauth obtained from Brain Perriera the sum of $6,500,000 by falsely pretending that her name was Latchmin Shiwmangal, the registered owner of a property situated at Block XXX Zone, East Bank Demerara parcel 1107, part of South Ruimveldt, Greater Georgetown and that she was in the position to sell it to him knowing same to be false.
The second charge alleges that between February 20, 2020, and October 5, 2021, with the intent to defraud, she forged one United States of America Passport #454099867 in the name of Shirley Shiwmangal with a picture bearing her likeness and purporting to show that same was issued by the United States Department of State, knowing same to be forged.
After the charges were read to her, the court heard that the businesswoman is known to the police and that she was convicted in 2015 for a similar offence and was granted pardoned by the former President in 2017.
According to previous reports, the woman was among nine female prisoners of the New Amsterdam Prison who were pardoned by Granger. A statement from the Ministry of Public Security said that the women were all prisoners that the Head of State considered to be fit and proper to receive such pardons.
They were granted pardon in accordance with article 188 (2) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
Ramnauth who pleaded not guilty to both charges yesterday, was granted bail to the tune of $3 million.