$19M GPF meals fraud: Cops accused of deleting records walk free

Police Corporal Jenneka Carmichael and Police Constable Tatayana Smith, who were charged back in April with deleting information related to a $19 million fraud from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) computer, were both freed of the charge on Wednesday after the prosecution failed to prove its case.
It was alleged that between January 28, 2021 and February 4, 2021, at the GPF Headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown, they intentionally, and without lawful excuse or justification, deleted electronic data from the GPF computer that was in the Administrative Office of the Felix Austin Police College Mess.

Twenty-six-year-old Carmicheal, of Onderneeming, West Coast Berbice and 21-year-old Smith, of Third Street Alberttown, Georgetown had both pleaded not guilty to the joint charge at their initial court appearance. They were each released on $150,000 bail pending the hearing and determination of their case. On Wednesday, City Magistrate Annette Singh upheld no-case submissions made by their lawyers, and dismissed the charge against them. Carmichael was represented by Attorney-at-law E. Stephen, while Attorney-at-law Bernard Da Silva appeared for Smith.
$19 million fraud
The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had alleged that the duo deleted information linked to a probe into a $19 million fraud at the Police Force’s Finance Department. SOCU had disclosed that it received information that falsified “feeding accounts” were stored on the computer.
But before SOCU ranks could have accessed the computer, all files were deleted. SOCU had said that only Smith and Carmichael had access to the computer.
Meanwhile, Deputy Police Commander Superintendent Lorraine Saul, Superintendent Marcelene Washington, and Deputy Assistant Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg are facing fraud-related charges concerning sums of money expended for supplying meals to ranks.
The first charge stated that the trio, between November 2, 2020 and December 3, 2020, at the GPF Headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and with other persons, while being officers employed by the GPF, to falsify a feeding account of $2,246,400 in relation to meals purportedly provided by the Felix Austin Police College Mess to ranks who performed fixed-point duties at Mounted Branch between October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.
It is further alleged that the trio, on November 2, 2020 and December 3, 2020, at the GPF Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons, while being officers employed by the GPF, to falsify a feeding account of $1,440,000 in relation to meals purportedly provided by the Felix Austin Police College Mess to ranks who performed fixed-point duty at Mounted Branch between October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.
Moreover, Saul and Assistant Superintendent Kurt Smith are charged with falsifying GPF payment accounts. The first charge stated that between December 18, 2020 and December 28, 2020, at Georgetown, they conspired with each other and other persons, while being officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), to falsify a payment of $1,350,000 to show that meals were supplied to ranks of the Riot Unit training during December 1, 2020 and December 15, 2020.
The other charge alleged that between December 18, 2020 and December 28, 2020, at Georgetown, they conspired with each other and other persons, while being officers of the GPF, to falsify a payment account in the sum of $465,000 to show that meals were supplied to ranks of the Riot Unit training during December 1, 2020 and December 15, 2020.
Retired Assistant Commissioner Kevin Adonis and three junior Police ranks were slapped with a $19 million larceny charge. The others charged are Sergeant Jermaine Fraser of 4116 Phase One, Westminster, West Bank Demerara (WBD); Sergeant Michael Corbin of First Avenue, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara; and Corporal Rawl Haynes of Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).
Particulars of the first charge stated that between March 26, 2019 and March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, Adonis, Fraser, Corbin, and Haynes conspired with each other and with persons unknown, while being employed by GPF, to steal $19,030,767.
It is alleged that Corbin, on March 26, 2019, at the GPF Finance Office, input a payment voucher for $19,030,767, resulting in inauthentic data, with the intent that it be considered or acted upon by the Finance Ministry’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.
According to the final charge, Haynes, on March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, while being a public officer employed by the Guyana Police Force, stole 19,030,767.
Corbin and Fraser are presently interdicted from duty. They were stationed at the Votes Section of the Police Finance Office. Haynes was stationed at the Tactical Service Unit, while Adonis is a retired Assistant Commissioner and was the Commander for Regional Division Number Seven.
It was reported that in March 2019, while performing duties at the Votes Section of the Police Finance Office, Headquarters, Eve Leary, Corbin and Fraser were responsible for inputting approved information from payment vouchers in the IFMIS, which resulted in the Finance Ministry cutting cheques.
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 for $19,030,767 being made payable to the Officer in Charge of Police F Division.
The cheque was uplifted from the Finance Ministry and lodged at the Police Finance Office.
Adonis endorsed the said cheque, and Haynes, who was not authorised and was not the finance representative for Police F Division, encashed the cheque at the Bank of Guyana using Adonis’s national identification card. No record was made of the cheque or to whom the money was disbursed at F Division.
An audit was conducted by the Auditor General, who recommended a Police probe. (G1)