Two corporation employees, eight ‘ghosts’ in court today

TWO San Juan/Laventille corporation workers and eight “ghost” workers are to appear before a Port of Spain magistrate today charged jointly with 1200 counts of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and falsification of accounts.

The directions to charge came yesterday after Senior Supt William Nurse along with Supt Ucef Alexander and legal officer Sgt Bryon Daniel of the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau presented a file to the DPP.

The accused, who were being kept at various police stations from La Horquetta to Carenage since their arrest last Thursday, were expected to be formally charged late yesterday.

It alleged that between 2011 and 2017 the corporation workers fraudulently paid to eight people, not employed with the corporation, salaries amounting to over $22.5 million. Police said the corporation employees worked in the accounts department.

According to sources, the theft was only discovered last December when the corporation’s then chief executive officer Kofi Chapman commissioned an internal audit. Chapman called in the police and an investigation was started.