Accountant on 21 fraud charges

Cox, 31, of Battoo Avenue, appeared before Senior Magistrate Cherril-Anne Antoine who granted him $600,000 bail to be approved by a clerk of the peace.

This bail is to cover 18 of the charges which allegedly occurred in the San Fernando magisterial district. The magistrate, who presides over the First Court, however denied bail and remanded him into police custody to appear in the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court today on three other charges.

It is alleged Cox deposited three FCB cheques drawn from the account of Central Finance Facility Co-operative Society by falsely pretending the cheques were good and in order. The cheques, each valued $30,000 were made payable to self from the society, where he was formerly employed.

The offences allegedly occurred between August and December 2015.

It is further alleged Cox disposed of various sums of cash on different dates, knowing and having reasonable grounds to suspect the money was criminal property, which constituted the benefit from criminal conduct, namely obtaining by false pretences. On Saturday, Cpl Khaleel Hosein of the Fraud Squad, charged Cox with 12 counts of money-laundering.

Hosein also charged him with three counts each of forgery, uttering forged valuable security namely cheques, and obtaining the documents by false pretence.

Eighteen of the offences alleged that Cox deposited the cheques at Marabella and three on December 21, 2015, at Chaguanas. The latter three alleged that he obtained by false pretence, uttered a false security valuable and forged an FCB Independence Branch cheque.

All of the charges are indictable and the accused was not called upon to plead yesterday. Defence attorney Louis Andrews told the magistrate that his client, a father of one, works as an accountant with a construction firm and has strong community ties.

In granting Cox the $600,000 bail, Magistrate Antoine ordered that he reports to the Fraud Squad office weekly. She adjourned the San Fernando-district matters to July 25, and the Chaguanas matters to today.