A prominent attorney has been ordered to pay almost $500,000 in fines after pleading guilty to uttering a forged valuation report to reduce the amount of stamp duty he was required to pay for a property.
Lal Krishna Doodnath, of Igneri Road, Valsayn, was fined after pleading guilty to the offence during a hearing before Senior Magistrate Debby Ann Bassaw in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Courton Friday.
In 2015, Doodnath, his wife Vidia, and their company Regents Park Ltd were charged with attempting to defraud the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) in September 2012.
The couple and their company were accused of submitting a report for a property in Westmoorings, which was valued at $2.75 million when it, in fact, should have been valued at $6.2 million.
Based on the report, the couple paid $112,000 in stamp duty as opposed to $370,750.
Doodnath was solely charged with uttering a forged document.
Doodnath entered into a plea agreement with the BIR under which he agreed to plead guilty to uttering a forged valuation report.
Under the agreement, the BIR agreed to withdraw the fraud charge against him and his wife.
The charge will remain against the company, which was committed to stand trial for it in the High Court.
Doodnath was fined $2,000 for the offence and was ordered to pay $258,750 to the BIR, which represents the stamp duty he avoided paying by using the forged valuation report.
He was also ordered to pay $233,750 in fines, which represents the penalties on the stamp duty between 2012 and 2021.
He was given one month in which to pay the fines.
Doodnath was represented by Gilbert Peterson, SC, and Anil Maharaj.
BIR Legal Consultant Evans Welch prosecuted the case, which was investigated by criminal tax investigator Adesh Ramdeo.