Retired Assistant Police Commissioner and former ‘F’ Division Commander Kevin Adonis and three serving ranks were on Friday charged with conspiring to steal over $19 million from the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
Adonis, of Lot 95 Stewartville, West Bank Demerara, Police Sergeant Michael Corbin, of Lot 315 First Avenue, Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, Police Sergeant Jermaine Fraser, of Lot 4116 Phase One Westminster, also on the West Bank, and Police Corporal Rawl Haynes, of Lot 2 Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo, were arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court 1, where Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan read their respective charges to them.
They were not required to plead to the charges.
The charges were instituted following an audit that was conducted by the Auditor General’s Office, which prompted an internal probe led by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
An audit had been underway into the disappearance of $300 million from the GPF’s Finance Department and earlier this month it had warned that anyone found culpable of any “illegality” at the conclusion would face the full force of the law.
It is alleged that between March 26, 2019 and March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, the four, while being public officers employed by the GPF, conspired among themselves and with other persons unknown and stole $19 million belonging to the GPF. The joint charge is conspiracy to commit a felony.
It is also alleged that on March 26, 2019, at the GPF Finance Office, Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown, Corbin made a payment voucher entry in the sum of $19 million, resulting in inauthentic data, with the intent that it be considered or acted upon by the Ministry of Finance’s Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) staff as if it were authentic, regardless of whether or not the said data was directly readable or intelligible. The charge against him is computer-related fraud.
It is further alleged that on March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, Haynes, while being a public officer employed at the GPF, stole $19 million, belonging to the GPF. The charge against him is larceny by public officer.
Attorney Mark Waldron represented Adonis, attorney Patrice Henry represented Corbin, attorney Latchmie Rahamat represented Fraser and attorney Dexter Todd represented Haynes. The four men were placed on $150,000 bail for the joint charge, while Corbin was placed on $100,000 bail and Haynes was placed on $50,000 bail for the separate charges they face.
The matters were adjourned until April 12.
Corbin, Fraser and Haynes have been interdicted from duty, while Haynes is stationed at the tactical Service Unit.
In a statement on the charges, SOCU explained that Corbin and Fraser were stationed at the Votes Section of the Police Finance Office, at Force Headquarters, Eve Leary in March, 2019, when they were tasked with the responsibility of inputting and approving information, respectively, from Payment Vouchers in the IFMIS, which results in the Ministry of Finance processing cheques for the amounts inputted.
SOCU alleges that Corbin reused a payment voucher with supporting documents for fuel purchased from GUYOIL to input information in the IFMIS, while Fraser approved the said information, resulting in a cheque amounting to $19 million being cut, payable to O/C ‘F’ Division. The cheque was uplifted from the Ministry of Finance and lodged at the Police Finance Office.
It was further stated by SOCU that Adonis endorsed the cheque and Haynes, while not being authorized or being the Finance Rep for ‘F’ Division, encashed the check at the Bank of Guyana while using Adonis’ national identification card. SOCU said that records of the cheque and who the money was disbursed to at ‘F’ Division were not recorded. However, the men were charged after an audit was conducted by the Auditor General and following further investigations done by the police. Fraser and Corbin were charged in March of last year with similar offences. They had been before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty who placed them on $250,000 bail each. It was alleged that on April 4th, 2019, at Eve Leary, Georgetown, the two, employed in the capacity of clerk or servant, by the Guyana Police Force’s Finance Office, deliberately with the intention to defraud their employers’ account, made entries into the IFMIS, representing a total of $12,532,000, without the existence of corresponding payment vouchers.
In delivering his contribution during the 2021 budget debate late last month, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn had announced that the $300 million was missing from the force’s Finance Department.
Benn had said that a financial audit of the Finance Department was ongoing to determine what happened to the funds. Stabroek News was previously told that the discovery was made last year after the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) assumed office.
Since then, a number of ranks, including a few from the Finance Department, have been sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe. Information reaching this newspaper revealed that there were instances where money was signed off for ranks for overtime work but they never received it. There were also occasions where millions were allocated for purchases by the force but could not be accounted for.
