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Major Basil Jarrett, Director of Communications at MOCA
By Kimone Witter
Four people have been arrested in connection with a fraud scheme uncovered at Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited.
The allegations of forgery and fraudulent payments involves contractors and employees of the company.
The four individuals were taken into custody Monday morning during a series of simultaneous and coordinated operations across Kingston and St. Andrew.
Search and seizure procedures were carried out at four locations.
The Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) says the operations were conducted with support from the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch (C-TOC) and other units of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
"Between 2016 and 2019 contractors, allegedly in collusion with company employees, submitted a number of forged documents to claim payments for work that was never done. This is a serious breach of trust and MOCA remains committed to holding those responsible accountable. We are urging all businesses to stay vigilant and to report any suspicious activities as fraud undermines not just companies but our economy as a whole," said Major Basil Jarrett, Director of Communications at MOCA.
It is alleged that over the three-year period, the contractors submitted multiple Interim Payment Certificates and invoices for work purportedly completed at properties owned or managed by Sagicor Property Services.
Payments were subsequently made based on the fraudulent documents.
The scheme was detected in April 2019 when an Interim Payment Certificate and accompanying invoices were submitted by the owner of a construction company for payment.
During the processing of these documents, it was discovered that they had been forged, including the signatures of authorised signing officers.
MOCA's investigation into the matter later revealed a deliberate and systematic attempt to defraud the company, resulting in Monday morning's arrests.
The agency said it is working closely with Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited to uncover the full extent of the fraud.
In the meantime, Sagicor Group said none of the individuals was arrested at its locations.
The company said upon identifying irregularities in 2019, immediate steps were taken to report the matter and safeguard against future breaches.
It has commended the efforts of the law enforcement authorities in conducting a thorough investigation.
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