Four officers charged for attempting to embezzle $19M cheque

…former Assistant Commissioner of Police among them, all placed on bail

Four police officers were charged jointly on Friday for conspiracy to commit a felony after they wrongfully endorsed and encashed a GYD$19M cheque.

According to a police report, the officers involved are Sergeant of Police #20665, Michael Corbin; Sergeant of Police #20725, Jermain Fraser; Corporal of Police #21508, Rawl Haynes and Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police and former Commander for Regional Division #7, Kevin Adonis.

Corbin and Fraser are presently interdicted from duty while Haynes is stationed at the Tactical Service Unit.

Investigations revealed that in March 2019, Corbin and Fraser were stationed at the Votes Section of the Police Finance Office at Force’s Headquarters and were responsible for inputting and approving certain financial information.

Corbin was responsible for inputting information regarding Payment Vouchers while Fraser was responsible for the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). Such work would allow the Ministry of Finance to cut cheques to the amount inputted.

On March 26, 2019, Corbin reused a payment voucher with supporting documents for fuel purchased from GUYOIL to input information in the IFMIS. Fraser then approved the said information, resulting in cheque #07-220086 in the amount of GYD$19,030,767 being cut payable to O/C ‘F’ Division.

The cheque was uplifted from the Ministry of Finance and lodged at the Police Finance Office. Adonis then endorsed the said cheque and Haynes —who was not authorized to do so — encashed same at the Bank of Guyana using Adonis’ national identification card.

No records were made of the cheque or whom the money was disbursed to at ‘F’ Division. An audit was conducted by the Auditor General followed by the police investigation led by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

It resulted in the four men being charged jointly for the offence of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony. They appeared before Her Worship, Chief Magistrate Ann Mc Lennon, at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court Friday.

They were placed on $150,000 bail each. Meanwhile, Corbin was also charged for the offence of Computer Related Fraud and was placed on $100,000 bail. Haynes was also charged for the offence of Larceny by a public officer and was placed on $50,000 bail. Fraser and Corbin were previously charged for similar offences.

In-house attorney for SOCU, Leslyn Noble, represented SOCU in the said matters. The matter was adjourned to April 12, 2021, for report.