Big shots spend night in custody

Big shots spend night in custody

October 10, 2019 0 By Horace Mills

The five people, including three public officials, who were nabbed and charged yesterday, October 9, in relation to an ongoing case of alleged corruption and fraud spent last night in police custody.

They include former Minister of Education Ruel Reid, and Jamaica Labour Party Councillor for the Brown’s Town Division in St Ann Kim Brown-Lawrence.

The others are Mr Reid’s wife Sharen Reid and daughter Sharelle Reid, as well as President of Caribbean Maritime University Professor Fritz Pinnock.

The Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) said the five, after being interviewed in the presence of their lawyers, were slapped with various charges, INCLUDING:

  • Breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act
  • Conspiracy to defraud
  • Misconduct in a public office at common law
  • Breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act

MOCA added: “The individuals have been remanded in custody and will be placed before the courts at the earliest possible time.”

The operations in which the five were held commenced at 5 o’clock in the morning.

MOCA said it targeted the ‘main suspects implicated in a multi-million dollar corruption and fraudulent scheme’.

It added that police conducted simultaneous operations at four locations in Kingston, St Ann and St Catherine. “All locations are properly manned by police personnel, and operations are proceeding in an orderly manner,” MOCA said while the operations were taking place.

The alleged scheme of corruption and fraud was perpetrated at the Ministry of Education, the Caribbean Maritime University, and other Government agencies that fell under the portfolio responsibility of Mr Reid.

The probe is being conducted by the Financial Investigations Division of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, MOCA, as well as the Constabulary Financial Unit of the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Division.


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