Two contractors charged with fraud

Two contractors were granted bail by a High Court Master after being charged with fraud on November 11.

A police statement said Cyril Johnson, 61, and Canalia Martin, 43, appeared before High Court master Shabiki Cazabon after being charged with forgery, uttering a forged document and jointly charged with attempting to obtain $18,375,760.60 by false pretences contractors.

Johnson and Martin, both from D'Abadie, were each granted $250,000 bail with surety.

The police statement said Johnson and Martin must report to a specified police station once per week.

The case was adjourned for a status hearing on July 30, 2025, with a sufficiency hearing scheduled for October 17, 2025.

Reports said on November 5, two people allegedly presented a government paymaster account cheque valued at $18,375,750.60 and a letter purportedly issued by the Ministry of Works dated October 4, 2024, requesting an advance payment of $500,000, at a bank located on Park Street, Port of Spain.

After conducting checks, the bank teller determined that both documents were fraudulent and immediately contacted the Fraud Squad.

Police responded and an investigation began. The suspects were arrested and taken into custody.

Police interviewed multiple people, recorded statements and obtained key evidence, resulting in charges against the suspects.

The Fraud Squad urged members of the public to be vigilant when handling large cheques and financial documents, particularly those claiming to be issued by government agencies.