Bail hearing for suspects in INSPORTS fraud racket rescheduled for later today
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Analysis
The article describes a $222-million fraud involving INSPORTS, with MOCA arrests, multiple criminal charges (conspiracy to defraud, forgery), and allegations of fraudulent cheques and misuse of funds. This is directly tied to Jamaican government anti-corruption accountability and financial wrongdoing by individuals connected to a state sports institute.
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A bail hearing for the five people implicated in the $222-million fraud racket at the Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) has been rescheduled to Friday afternoon.
The five accused were present in the Kingston & St Andrew Parish Court in Half-way Tree, where lead attorney Seymour Stewart was expected to present the bail applications to the court.
However, due to the length of the court sheet, the matter was stood down until later this afternoon.
The Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) arrested popular “Chug IT” and “French Connection” party promoter Andrew Wright and co-conspirators Rudolph Barnes and Oneil Hope, on Wednesday in connection with the fraud racket that reportedly took place between 2011 and 2017.
READ:Party promoter implicated in $222-million INSPORTS fraud
On Thursday MOCA arrested two others who are allegedly involved. They are Jonnique Mills and Andrea Picton who have both been charged with conspiracy to defraud. Mills is facing an additional charge of forgery.
Mills was picked up at her home while Picton was arrested at INSPORTS where she was still an employee.
READ:Two more persons arrested in INSPORTS fraud
Allegations are that the three men were part of a team of former employees of INSPORTS, who wrote, signed and encashed fraudulent cheques for payees who were neither employees nor contracted workers of the entity.
The suspected fraud and other irregularities were reportedly detected by INSPORTS in 2017 during an examination of their financial records. The matter was then reported to MOCA, triggering an investigation.
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