Businessman gets $138,500 bail for fraud

A CENTRAL businessman with 12 previous convictions for fraud was yesterday granted bail when he appeared before a San Fernando magistrate on four fraud charges and one charge of larceny by trick.

Azad Ali Rahim was granted a total of $138,500 bail with surety to cover all five matters by Senior Magistrate Mark Wellington. The prosecution had objected to bail on the grounds that Rahim had 12 previous convictions for similar offences in 1996, had a prison record and a home in Gasparillo apart from his stated Chaguanas residence. One of the five charges was transferred to the Tunapuna Magistrates’ Court to be heard next Monday. Rahim in on $3,500 bail for that charge. Three matters were transferred to the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court, to be heard next Tuesday. He is on a total of $125,000 bail for these charges. The last charge was transferred to the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court, to be heard next Wednesday and he is on $10,000 bail for that charge.

In the Princes Town matter, Rahim is charged with larceny by trick and two counts of uttering forged documents. The court heard that between August 13 to October 25, 2002, he allegedly defrauded Couva businessman Rabindranath Harnarine of $260,000. In the Chaguanas matter, Rahim was charged with uttering a false Petrotrin certificate of appreciation, which was supposed to have proven his managerial status at that company. Cpl Kent Ghisyawan of the San Fernando Fraud Squad is investigating the Chaguanas and Princes Town matters, while PC Eccles of the Port-of-Spain Fraud Squad is investigating the Tunapuna matter.