Manchester Fraud Trial | Cheques found in kitchen, vehicle and gardener’s quarters in Elliott house raid
Published:Wednesday | June 26, 2019 | 12:00 AMTamara Bailey/Gleaner Writer
Mandeville, Manchester:
An investigating officer from the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) yesterday revealed that a 2016 raid at the home of Sanja Elliott, one of the accused in the $400-million Manchester Municipal Corporation (MMC) fraud trial, turned up several cheques, payment vouchers and invoices.
The MOCA officer was giving testimony yesterday in the Manchester Parish Court about the MOCA-Financial Investigations Division raids as they probed irregularities at the then named Manchester Parish Council.
The witness said that after receiving a search warrant and having been allowed access to the premises, Elliott, the former deputy superintendent of roads and works at the local authority, informed him that he shared the Daley’s Grove home with his wife, TashaGaye Goulbourne-Elliott, and gardener Dwayne Sibbles, who have also both been charged in the matter.
The witness said that after the warrant was read and the objective of the operation made clear to Elliott, the team began the search, which uncovered a number of Manchester Parish Council cheques, payment vouchers and invoices in the kitchen and home office.
A motor vehicle parked next to the garage was also searched and 10 parish council cheques bearing different names and a receipt book were found.
The witness said Elliott told him that the cheques were in his possession as he would be delivering them to the persons.
A search of the gardener’s room, occupied by co-accused Sibbles, also turned up several cheques.
The witness said that when Sibbles was asked about the cheques, he stated that he was not obliged to respond.
The defence counsel then began to highlight inconsistencies with the evidence presented by the witness.
The officer had stated that he could not recall there being any stubs on the cheques found in the raid, but the ones in evidence did, in fact, have stubs.
The defence then cautioned the prosecution to be true to the evidence and not sanitise it.
The matter will continue on Monday, July 8 in the Manchester Parish Court.
Also charged are former acting secretary-manager and director of finance, David Harris; temporary works overseer Kendale Roberts; former bank employee Radcliffe McLean; Elliott’s mother, Mrytle Elliott; and his father, Edwardo Elliott.
All eight have denied the charges.