6 days ago, a team of police, FIU, and tax officers searched A store called, Almacen Shanti in Corozal town. They found huge amounts of cash - including 134,000 US dollars, 181,000 Belize Dollars, 1.6 million pesos, $350 Canadian Dollars, 122,000 Indian Rupees and a couple hundred Quetzal.
Well, the owner of the business, Kishore Kumar has been charged operating a money lending business without a permit. He appeared in court yesterday, where he pled not guilty and was offered a steep bail of 150 thousand dollars. We understand his wife offered two properties as security and he was bailed. His attorney is Audrey Matura Shepherd and disclosure is supposed to be given on the 6th January. He had to hand in his passport and ask the court for special permission to go to Chetumal for medical treatment.
As for all his cash? Well that is being held by the FIU as it investigates him further. The Commissioner of Police had said they are looking at the possibility of tax evasion and money laundering.
Sources in the Indian community tell us Kumar operated an informal money lending service, an operation that was described to us as a sort of soft loan shark.
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