BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 23rd October 2020)- A senior ranking police officer who served as the Assistant Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Police Cooperative Credit Union (PCCU) is the sixth individual charged by police in a 2020 money laundering case involving in excess of $1 million of the government’s Severance Payment Fund.
Accused is Sergeant Fitzroy Morton.
As informed by the Police Public Relations Department on Wednesday 21st October, he was formally arrested and charged for the offences of Forgery and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering on Monday 19th October.
Reportedly, Morton’s arrest results from investigations into fraudulent payments made from the Severance Payment Fund to four (4) former employees of the PCCU who were employed during the period in which the offences were committed in 2020 between March 01 and May 13.
Police say further that the sergeant has since been granted bail in the sum of $60,000 with two (2) sureties for his appearance at the Basseterre Magistrate’s Court on December 07, 2020.
Bail conditions are that: (1) he should have no contact with PCCU employees unless it relates to business; (2) he is to surrender his passport; and (3) he is to report to the Cayon Police Station on Mondays and Fridays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The others accused in this matter are Deputy Labour Commissioner Dr. Deon Webb of New Road along with four now PCCU ex-employees; all of who are out on bail as well namely Mario Wigley of Cayon, Hyacinth Phipps of Garden’s Housing, Chanita Richards of Parray’s Extension and Tisharie Fyfield of Gillard’s Meadows.
They were granted bail on Monday 5th October in the sum of $60,000 with two (2) sureties which came a day after they were all arrested and charged.
An investigation into the activities surrounding payments made from the government’s Severance Payment Fund during May and June 2020 in the amount of EC $1,182,144.38 has led to the developments into this matter.
The National Audit Office on 27th July 2020 requested an investigation by the White Collar Crime Unit into suspected fraudulent payments.