Fraud round-up

Engineers, cop nabbed after two-year investigation

A former senior public servant and prominent civil engineer, and an inspector of police were among five persons arrested for forgery and conspiracy to defraud, in a multi-agency police operation in Portland, St Catherine, and the Corporate Area, yesterday morning.

The operations, which were carried out at six locations, were the culmination of an investigation started two years ago.

Spearheaded by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Task Force (MOCA), the operations involved the police Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) and the Financial Investigation Division (FID), assisted by Mobile Reserve and the Flying Squad.

Five-hour operation

At one of the Corporate Area locations, the teams descended upon an electrical engineering and building maintenance company located on Central Avenue in the predawn operation which lasted for more than five hours.

The civil engineer and two other persons - two electrical engineers and a manager - are expected to be interviewed in the presence of their attorneys, following which formal charges are expected to be laid.

The attorney who represents the manager told The Gleaner that he did not have much information on what the police were alleging as he had just arrived at the location where his client had been detained.

Subsequent calls to his cell phone to obtain additional information went unanswered.

Meanwhile, head of MOCA, Assistant Commissioner of Police Gervis Taylor, commenting on the operation yesterday, lauded the combined efforts of the investigative teams.

"Working regularly together, MOCA, ACB and FID have been able to demonstrate the effectiveness of our collaboration. Our colleagues from ACB have been proactive in supporting all aspects of the operation," Taylor said.

Taylor said investigations were expected to continue.