Witness says he refused to sign cheques, citing policy breach

A Petrojam finance executive testified on Monday that former General Manager Floyd Grindley had instructed him to effect payments to the contractors for donation projects, but he refused as this would have breached board policy.

During his evidence-in-chief at the resumption of the fraud trial in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, the state refinery’s chief financial officer testified that he had observed irregularities on two separate occasions with at least six donation requests submitted to him for payments between November 2016 and May 2017.

He told the court that in the first instance, the requests came to him without the board’s approval and when they were resubmitted, the payees’ names on the cheques did not match those in the resolution. Consequently, the executive said, he cancelled those cheques and prepared new ones with the correct names.

Explaining the donation process, the witness said that the requests are normally handled by public relations officer, who reports to the human development and administration manager.

Additionally, he indicated that the general manager and the human resource manager could sign off on requests that were for less than US$790, but those above that limit would need to go before the board and its subcommittee for approval. After this, the requests, along with the resolution, would then be sent to him to make the payments.

“I do not approve requests. I just effect the payments,” he emphasised.

Asked by Caroline Hay, KC, who is prosecuting the matter on fiat, why he had not effected payments when he first received the requests, he said, “At the time, I didn’t see any evidence of the board’s approval.”

The witness said he sent back the documents and communicated the reason to the public relations officer and they were resubmitted with the board’s resolution.

Asked whether he had received any specific instruction then, he replied, “At the time, Mr Grindley said the contractors would be carrying out the work and should be paid, and I indicated to Mr Grindley that I can only effect payment to the institution named in the board resolution.”

The witness said the instructions were in relation to donation requests from Munro College, Camperdown High, the McCooks Pen Citizens’ Association, and Homestead Primary.

“Subsequent to that, some cheques came to me for signatures and I asked that those cheques be cancelled because they did not have the name of the institution in the board resolution,” he added.

Grindley and former Chairman Dr Perceval Bahado Singh are being tried on several fraud-related charges.

It is alleged that Singh had submitted claims amounting to US$73,620 for overseas travel he did not make. Grindley is alleged to have aided and abetted the ex-chairman in the process.

Earlier during the trial, the witness testified that it was mandatory for the energy ministry to approve all overseas travel before they are approved by Petrojam.

He, however, indicated that the general manager was responsible for approving the disbursement cheques for travel allowances, but that he had a duty to ensure that there was prior approval from the ministry.

He told the court that the general manager would be in breach of his duty if there were circumstances in which he had signed without getting the ministry’s approval.

The witness will continue testifying today.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com