Messado’s bail extended
Published:Friday | September 3, 2021 | 12:11 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
Disbarred lawyer Jennifer Messado, who is accused of using fraudulent documents to obtain a $16 million loan from a businessman in 2018, is to return to the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on December 9.
The 71-year-old, who is facing 12 counts of forgery and four counts of obtaining money by forged documents, allegedly got two loans from the complainant in the amounts of $4 million and US$65,000.
In June, when the matter was first mentioned, Messado signed a document indicating that she was willing to repay the complainant’s money.
However, in July, when she returned to court, her attorney-at-law, Christopher Townsend, reported that his client and the complainant had a civil lawsuit with the Supreme Court with respect to the US$65,000 that had been borrowed and that Messado had paid over US$71,441 to the complainant via two cheques, following a judgment in the complainant’s favour.
Townsend had explained then that the money included the sum that was borrowed plus interest but that the court had ruled that the interest that the complainant was seeking on the borrowed sum was unlawful.
Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague, who was hearing about the civil matter for the first time then, rescheduled the matter for mention on September 2 for the court to be informed whether the monies that were paid over to the complainant in a civil suit in the Supreme Court related to the $16 million sum in the parish court for which Messado is charged.
Consequently, yesterday when the matter was mentioned, Townsend informed the court that the sums that were paid over were in connection with this case and that the monies had been paid in full.
A new mention date was subsequently scheduled for December and also for the case file to be completed.
Messado’s bail was also extended.
According to allegations, the accused allegedly tendered an undated promissory note signed by two of her clients for a loan of $4 million.
It is further alleged that she applied for a loan on behalf of Sonado Limited, a company in which she and her husband are directors.
The complainant was reportedly told that the loan would be repaid from the sale of the company’s shares.
It is said that the complainant handed over the funds, but it was later discovered that the shares in Sonado Limited had been sold in 2010.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police after efforts by the complainant to recoup the money failed.
In the meantime, Townsend told The Gleaner that his client, who has about 13 other fraud matters in the parish court, is at an advanced state of settlement with most of the complainants.