West Berbice man gets 7 years & 7 months for embezzlement, larceny

A man from West Berbice has been sentenced to seven years and seven months for stealing from his former employer.

On Friday, Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty handed down the sentence to Hemraj Singh Pahalad, who worked as a clerk for Ramdial Ramoutar.

The court heard that between February 12 and 16, 2013, Pahalad fraudulently took over three and a half million dollars from his employer’s business, claiming it was for the accounts of Sahidrul Satar. He also embezzled an additional three million from Karamdeo Mangru.

During that same period, Pahalad was accused of stealing a large amount of flour—200 bags of Thunderbolt flour, 515 bags of 2kg flour, 311 bags of 1kg flour, and several bags of other types of flour, totaling over $10 million in value, all belonging to Ramdial Ramoutar.

When he appeared in court, Pahalad pleaded not guilty, which led to a trial where a jury ultimately found him guilty of embezzlement and larceny.

In determining his sentence, Justice Kumar-Chetty highlighted the seriousness of the breach of trust involved. She pointed out that Pahalad held a position of confidence, having access to the flour bond and being responsible for depositing cash and cheques at the bank. His employer had placed significant trust in him, even naming him on a joint bank account. Instead of honoring that trust, Pahalad chose to abuse his position for personal gain.

The court also noted that during police questioning, Pahalad admitted to stealing the flour and the money, showing a lack of remorse even when he knew he was under investigation. The judge mentioned that he had the chance to repay the stolen amounts but chose not to.

The complainant mentioned that the crime did not just affect him directly; it also impacted his family members who live abroad. They had to adjust their living arrangements to help cope with the losses.

The court acknowledged that embezzlement has a harmful effect on the economy and can shake public trust in business activities.

After weighing several factors, the court handed down a five-year prison sentence for the embezzlement.

However, as a mitigating factor, the court noted that Pahalad had no previous convictions since this was his first offense.

They reduced the initial sentence by two years. The court also took into account a 13-year delay in prosecution without any explanation and decided to decrease the sentence by an additional five months.

In the end, Pahalad received a two-year prison term for the embezzlement charge, with the court ordering that the time he spent in remand be deducted from his sentence.

When looking at the seriousness of the larceny charge, the court considered the value of the stolen goods.

They set the starting point for the larceny sentence at seven years but then reduced it by two years. Pahalad was ultimately sentenced to five years for larceny.

Justice Kumar-Chetty stated that the sentences would run concurrently since they were part of a single act of dishonesty by Pahalad.