Senior RDC official among two on fraud charges

A government employee have been fingered for fraud after she was caught trying to bilk the
local treasury in a bid to repay contributors to a Ponzi scheme she and another man were
fronting.
Regional Democratic Council (RDC) a senior employee of the Accounts Department, Claire
Joseph and minibus driver Dwayne Charles called ‘Uncle’ appeared before Magistrate Wanda
Fortune in the Linden Magistrate Court facing five fraud charges.
The duo appeared at the Linden Magistrate Court, where five charges were read to them by
Magistrate Wanda Fortune.
Details of the fraud charges faced by the duo are still sketchy, but Joseph and Charles were
charged with obtaining money by false pretense from Gavin Munroe, Vernon Richmond, Leslie
Jervis, Odetta Hall, and Salome Henry to the tune of $21,500.00.
Confidential sources in Upper Demerara/Berbice (Region ten) told www.aroundtheregions.com
that the RDC official tapped funding from the Region’s treasury to repay contributors in the
Ponzi operation.
It is not the first time the Region Ten Accounts Department has been embroiled in financial
irregularities, but people in authority, including the last three Regional Executive Officers (RE
Os), have repeatedly ignored employees’ complaints to have the scheme criminally investigated,
effectively covering up the skullduggeries.
“There were many times I recalled persons coming in complaining about their names being used
to garner monies and I myself can recall seeing, especially around Christmas, where monies that
were left in the system would mysteriously disappear under various headings and when you
check these account staff, they are making huge purchases, which evidently couldn’t be bought
from their salaries,” an employee said requesting anonymity.
Another employee though is convinced that previous REOs benefitted from the illegalities.

“When you take the evidence to the REOs, they would thank you and praise you but soon after
you are made out as the bad person and then all kinds of discriminatory actions are being taken
against you. It was obvious that they (the REOs) had been bought into the situation and as such,
saw you as the bad one,” the employee emphasised.
A senior employee is relieved that Joseph is finally facing fraud charges.
“I blame those in authority as this could have been avoided. It was a very long time that issues
like this were taking place, but no one saw the need to put a stop to it. Instead, of doing
government business she and others were doing their own business using government resources,
time and opportunities to personally enrich themselves. This is certainly a major breakthrough
and action should be taken against those who could have ensured that it was stopped but put a
blind eye to it,” the official said.
Joseph and Charles posted bond and will return to court on January 21. As a condition of their
both were required to lodge their passports and to report every last Friday of the month to the
police until the matter is concluded.
Joseph is the second Region Ten RDC employee that has been criminally charged in less than a
year. A few months ago, a male employee was found with an unlicensed gun, marijuana and
thousands of dollars in foreign currency.
At the time of his arrest in the Essequibo Islands/West Demerara (Region Three) he was
driving a vehicle, property of the Upper Demerara/Berbice RDC.