Bail for 7 cops charged with fraud

Seven officers of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch appeared before a Port of Spain magistrate this morning to face charges of allegedly defrauding Toyota TT Ltd for extra duty in July and September, last year. They are on station bail.

The officers Marvin Bascombe, Nicole Stephens, Liz Francis, Vanda O'Neal, Amoy Blackett, Monifa David and Kerry Ann Alexander were charged jointly for conspiring to defraud the company for extra duty between July 12 and 17 at the Traffic and Highway Patrol Unit, Aranguez. The charge was laid indictably and none of the accused were called upon to plead.

Bascombe, O'Neal, Stephens, David and Alexander were then charged for conspiring to defraud Toyota to pay them money for extra duty in July, while Stephens and Bascombe were charged separately for attempting to defraud the company again in September.

Stephens was charged individually with four counts of attempting to deceive the police service using a pay sheet knowing it to contain erroneous information.

The police prosecutor said while they were not opposed to the current bail conditions, he also requested the six accused report to the nearest police station once a week.

Magistrate Marisa Gomez included this condition and continued station bail for the six.

They are expected to reappear in court on May 7.