Omari James, a 26-year-old labourer and ex-policeman of Farm Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, was today remanded on forgery charges, as well as demanding money through fraudulent means.
On September 25, 2025, at about 12:15 pm, the accused entered the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Limited (Diamond branch) and presented himself to a Teller with a National Identification card.
The document was in the name of Shameer Ali, bearing his photograph, as well as a Guyana Driver’s Licence in the name of Shameer Ali also bearing his photograph, and both bearing the information of Date of Birth as 1989-08-25, along with a Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) withdrawal slip in the name of Shameer Ali for $35,000,000.
The Teller passed the documents to her Supervisor, who discovered that the Date of Birth of Shameer Ali in the Bank’s database is different from that on the Identification Card and Driver’s Licence presented, and the photograph differs.
James was arrested and charged with:
- Two (2) counts of Uttering a Forged Document, Contrary to Section 245 (b) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 08:01
- One (1) count of Uttering a Forged Document, Contrary to Section 277 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 08:01
- One (1) count of Demanding Money upon a Forged Instrument, Contrary to Section 278 (b) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 08:01
The accused appeared today (Monday) at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Wanda Fortune, where the charges were read to him. He pleaded ‘not guilty” to all. The accused was remanded to prison. The matter was adjourned to October 31, 2025.
