On Wednesday, THREE senior police officers were charged by the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for falsifying accounts worth $ 3.6 million for meals that were never served.
The officers are former Police Finance Officer, Superintendent (s) Marcelene Washington and her deputy, Deputy Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg and former Deputy Division 4B Superintendent Lorraine Saul. They were jointly charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.
In addition, Saul was separately charged with two counts of falsifying an account by an officer. This is the third time in two weeks that allegations of fraud have been brought against her by SOCU.
The issues were called before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Washington and Saul did not appear to be answering the allegations, as they are not currently within the jurisdiction. The issues were adjourned until May 14, 2021, in anticipation of their return.
Jackman-Wilburg appeared in person before the Chief Magistrate, who read the indictable charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, in violation of Section 34 of the Criminal Law (Crimes) Act.
The officer was not required to plead and was given $ 150,000 bail on each charge.
Details of the allegation allege that Washington, Jackman-Wilburg and Saul with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other individuals while being officers employed by the GPF, to forge a feeding account in the amount of $ 1,440,000 for meals provided allegedly by the Felix Austin Police College (FAPC) Message to ranks, which performed fixed-point duty in the Suicide Hotline between the period October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.
Further, it is alleged that Washington, Jackman-Wilburg and Saul with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other individuals while being officers of the GPF, to fake a feeding account in the amount of $ 2,246,400 for meals provided allegedly by the FAPC Mess. to ranks, who performed fixed point duty in the Mounting Branch between the period October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.
Investigations by SOCU revealed that Saul, who at the time was the officer in charge at the FAPC Mess, caused two feed counts to be prepared on November 2, 2020, for the feed in the Suicide Helpline and at the Mounted Branch, respectively. , for the period from October 16, 2020 to October 31, 2020.
The accounts were processed at the Police Finance Office and a payment voucher for the sum of $ 1,440,000 and $ 2,246,400 was approved for the said accounts respectively; a total of $ 3,686,400.
SOCU investigations further revealed that Washington and Jackman-Wilburg allegedly colluded with Saul to defraud, as they authorized the charges, when no such duty actually existed and no dishes were dispensed with. such to ranks as stated on the accounts.
Saul, the former officer in charge of Brickdam Police Station’s Other Range Message, was recently charged with Assistant Police Superintendent Kurt Smith, who was the officer in charge of the Guyana Police Department of Finance.
The duo was jointly charged on April 15 of two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, in violation of Section 34 of the Criminal Law Offenses Act, while Saul was also charged with two counts of forgery of accounts, a violation to Section 208 (b) of the Criminal Law Offenses Act.
Smith had appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at Georgetown Magistrates Court, where he was not required to plead to the charges as they are indictable, and he was set on $ 100,000 bail, while the court was informed that he is not Saul in the land.
In those matters, after a SOCU investigation, it was discovered that Saul had prepared an account and petty contract dated December 18, 2020, for meals supplied purportedly to ranks performing fixed-point duties at Georgetown Holding Center, Sophia, between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, 2020, in the amount of $ 348,000.
Further, Saul prepared two similar accounts, dated December 18, 2020, for meals supplied purportedly to ranks performing fixed-point duties in the Georgetown Public Hospital Police Outreach Plan and Georgetown Magistrates’ Court locks between December 1 and 15, 2020 , to the amount of $ 189,000 and $ 598,4000, respectively.
Investigations found her inflated the number of ranks and meals on each occasion, and it is alleged that Smith, as Finance Officer (ag), deliberately colluded with Saul to defraud and authorize the charges when the amount of feeding never happened .
Saul and Smith were also jointly charged, on April 12, with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, in violation of Section 34 of the Criminal Law Offenses Act, and Saul was also charged separately with two counts of falsifying accounts, to Section 208 (b) of the Criminal Law Offenses Act.
In those matters, upon investigation, SOCU found that Saul had prepared a small account and contract, dated December 18, 2020, for meals supplied purportedly to ranks performing duties in the ‘A’ Division Riot Unit between December 1 and 15, 2020, to the amount of $ 1,350,000, when no such training was done for this period.
Further, Saul was also found to have prepared another account and a minor contract dated the same dates for meals allegedly supplied to ranks, which performed fixed-point duties at Georgetown Prison between December 1 and December 15, 2020 , up to $ 648,000; however, the number of ranks and the number of meals on this account increased by $ 465,000.