Two charged after ex-minister's claims of fraud over state land

ACTING Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob said on Thursday that claims raised by former agriculture minister Clarence Rambharat of corruption at the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries are being investigated.

At the launch of the National Operational Task Force at the Inter-Agency Task Force headquarters in Aranguez, Jacob said so far two people have been charged in relation to fraud at the ministry.

He added that he had received a letter from Rambharat thanking him.

During an interview with i95FM on Sunday, Rambharat said there was multi-million-dollar corruption taking place involving state lands.

Rambharat said he had told the (acting) CoP that senior public servants had colluded to have state land granted to five relatives of one of them.

"It involves seven lots of land with a value of at least $5 million," he said. "I am not talking about daily-paid...I am talking about a minister having to write to a commissioner of police and prime minister saying that I have evidence.”

Asked about this, Jacob said: “Two people have been held and brought before the court in relation to this matter. I have a letter from the former minister thanking the police for the way the investigation was done.

"There are also other investigations ongoing, but two already charged and brought before the courts.”

The two charged are Jimboy Bruno, 38, a checker, from Bon Air Gardens, and Devon Richardson, 38, a contractor from Panco Lane, San Fernando. Bruno was charged on March 13 and Richardson on March 10.

Bruno, who works in the Office of the Commissioner of State Lands, is alleged to have forged a letter dated February 3, 2020, granting permission to a man to occupy state lands in South Oropouche. It is alleged that he collected $700 to facilitate the forgery.

Richardson is alleged to have uttered a forged document, namely a letter dated February 3, 2020, in an attempt to gain permission to use land at Hindustan Junction, New Grant, Princes Town.

The two were arrested and charged by the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau after a report was made on November 23, 2021.