Former Assistant Commissioner, Corporal, and two Sergeants charged with $57M fraud at Police Finance Dept

(L) Michael Corbin (front) Jermaine Fraser, (R) Former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kevin Adonis and Corporal Rawle Haynes

Four ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) who are fingered in a multimillion-dollar fraud committed at the police finance department have been charged.

Those charged are Jermaine Fraser of 4116 Phase One West Minister, West Coast Demerara; Rawle Haynes, of Two Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo; Michael Corbin, of 315, First Avenue, Parfaite Harmony, West Bank Demerara and Kevin Adonis of 95 Stewartville, West Bank Demerara.

The four appeared today before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The first charge stated that Fraser, Haynes, Corbin, and Adonis between March 26, 2019, and March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, conspired together with each other and persons unknown, while being public officers, employed by the Guyana Police Force( GPF) and stole $19,030,767, belonging to the Guyana Police Force, their employer.

                                                                                                                                       Corporal Rawle Haynes

It was further alleged that Corbin on March 26, 2019, at Guyana Police Force, Finance Office, Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown, he input electronic data, that is to say, a payment voucher entry in the sum of $19,030,767, resulting in inauthentic data, with the intent that it be considered or acted upon by the Ministry of Finance Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) staff as if it was authentic, regardless of whether or not the said data was directly readable or intelligible.

The last charge stated that Haynes on March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, while being a public officer, employed by the Guyana Police Force, stole 19,030,767, money belonging to the said Guyana Police Force, his employer. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge after it was read to them. In relation to the joint charge, the men were each released on $150,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Corbin and Haynes were granted $100,000 and $50,000 bail respectively for the latter charges. Adonis was represented by attorney-at-law Mark Waldon, while Dextor Todd represented Haynes, Corbin was represented by Patrice Henry and Latchmi Rahaman represented Fraser. Adonis and Fraser were granted bail in the sum of $150,000 each. While Haynes and Corbin were granted bail in the sum of $200,000 and $250,000 each respectively.

They were all instructed to make their next court appearance on April, 12,2021. According to information, the missing monies were allotted to officers for extra duties performed. However, while such documents were signed to say that the funds were allocated to the ranks for their extra duties, the monies never reached into the hands of the ranks.

The matter was prosecuted by Special Organized Crime Unit(SOCU) Prosecutor, Leslyn Nobel. Last year, Corbin and Fraser appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty after being slapped with 21 fraud charges.

The two were charged for stealing $11.3M from GPF Finance Department in one day. Fraser and Corbin were not required to plead to the indictable offense which stated that on April 4, 2019, at Eve Leary, Georgetown, while being employed as a clerk or servant at the GPF Finance Office, with intent to defraud, they wilfully made false entries into the accounts of their employer. The charge stated that they falsely entered the sum of $11,385,000 into the integration and finance management system without the existence of payment vouchers.

On their first court appearance, they were each released on $250,000 bail.