Accountant on $.4M fraud charge

A PORT-OF-SPAIN magistrate yesterday refused to reduce the $320,000 bail granted to a man charged with 27 counts of defrauding a commercial bank of $421,801.01, because she felt that the bail that was set was not enough to cover all the charges. The bail had been set by a Clerk of the Peace on Friday.

Peter Williams, 53, of Santa Rosa Heights, Arima, appeared before Magistrate Ejenny Espinet at the Port-of-Spain First Magistrates’ Court charged with defrauding the Park Street, Port-of-Spain branch of RBTT on separate instances between July 26, 2001 and August 20, 2002. The fraudulent cheques, allegedly made payable by RBTT, were produced to Republic Bank Credit Card Centre located at Cipriani Boulevard, Port-of-Spain and drawn on the account of York Garments Ltd. Williams was the accountant at the garment company. Three of the offences reportedly occurred at Valsayn and 24 at Port-of-Spain. The indictable charges were laid on Friday by Sgt Douglas of the Fraud Squad, following investigations that began in June, 2003.

Williams was represented by attorney Odai Ramischand, who informed Espinet that his client had been charged on Friday morning and had not been brought to the courthouse until after the courts were closed. As a result, Ramischand said, his client had appeared before a Clerk of the Peace and, although he had been granted bail, he had to spend the weekend in jail because the paperwork could not have been processed. He said Williams had a heart problem and requested that the trial begin as soon as possible. Williams will re-appear at the St Vincent Street courthouse on January 27 for the Port-of-Spain offences and at the Tunapuna Magistrates’ Court on January 30 for the Valsayn offences.