Cops, caterers in court scam

TAXPAYERS have been fleeced of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a huge scam involving policemen  and caterers who provide food for prisoners at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court. Officers of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), led by Assistant Supt Joseph  Edwards, yesterday seized six “feeding books,” diaries and other documents from the Court and Process Section at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court. The action was prompted by information supplied to Assistant Police Commissioner James Philbert by a police constable who alleged that the “feeding books,” which record the number of prisoners to be fed on any given day, were being padded with false names by policemen attached to the Court and Process Section. ACP Philbert informed ASP Joseph Edwards of the ACB, and the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court was raided yesterday.

It is alleged that caterers in collusion with some policemen have been able to fleece the Government of hundreds of thousands of dollars in false claims for “ghost prisoners.” Feeding books are used by policemen attached to the Court and Process Section to state the number of meals that are needed for prisoners. The names of the prisoners are also recorded in the book in addition to information on whether the prisoners were served meals The senior superintendent in charge of the Court and Process Section is entrusted with the responsibility of submitting the records from the feeding books to the police Finance Branch.

He depends on records supplied to him by those in charge of the prisoners at various courts. Payments are then made to respective caterers by policemen of the Finance Branch. It is alleged that after the caterers were paid by the Government, they passed some of the money to the police. Sources at the ACB revealed that the seized books and diaries are now being scrutinised to determine the extent of the illegal padding. The diaries at the cell blocks were also seized to find out if the information corresponds with the feeding books record. An inspector is usually in charge of operations at court cells.