Guyanese Businesswoman Appears In Court On Human Trafficking Charges

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Feb 29, (CMC) – A 43-year-old businesswoman has been released on GUY$650,000 (One Guyana dollar =US$0.004 cents) bail, on Monday, after she appeared in court, accused of trafficking her niece, nearly two years ago.

Joyce Lawrence is alleged to have trafficked her niece, who was a minor, between December 12 and 14, 2014 by means of a threat.

Lawrence is also accused of committing a similar offence on her niece, between July 1 and December 12, 2014, at a night club, also by means of a threat. She was also charged with holding her niece’s National Identification Card.

She was not required to plea to the indictable charges when she appeared before Chief Magistrate, Ann Mc Lennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Attorney Euclin Gomes told the court that her client, the mother of three children, is the victim of a trumped-up charge by her rebellious niece.