SKULDUGGERY

WESTERN BUREAU:

THE AREA One Fraud Squad has launched a probe into allegations that the signatures of some councillors were forged on an altered copy of a document now being circulated. The original document was used to boot Danree Delancy from his position as deputy mayor of Savanna-la-Mar last month.

“I can confirm that the Area One Fraud Squad is conducting a probe at the [Westmoreland Municipal] Corporation (WMC) into allegations of fraud,” Wayne Josephs, senior superintendent of police and commanding officer for the Westmoreland Police Division, told The Gleaner.

“The police were called in earlier this week and conducted a series of interviews,” he said.

At the July monthly meeting of the WMC, three councillors, who recently broke ranks with the People’s National Party (PNP) and have been operating as independents, joined forces with the three Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillors and moved, then passed, a resolution to remove Delancy.

He was replaced as deputy mayor of the WMC with Ian Myles, one of the new independent councillors.

Delancy has initiated court action challenging his removal with the intent to be reinstated to the post he has held for 12 years.

Garfield James, one of the three councillors who broke ranks with the PNP, declared at a meeting of the WMC on Thursday that he was a victim of the alleged forgery, claiming that he had not affixed his signature to the document.

Impact on reputation

James also expressed concerns about the impact the series of events could have on his reputation.

“I do not know if the other councillors understand the implications of this. I have seen a document with my signature on it that I am not aware of,” stated James, who is also the principal of Little London High School.

“I have never seen that document,” he declared. “I have never signed that document, but, still, that document is in circulation with my signature on it.”

Continuing, James said: “I have to protect my name and I have to protect my signature. The police have been called to investigate the matter because we must arrive at answers as to why that document is in circulation.

“I want my name to be cleared as it relates to that fraudulent document in circulation with my signature on it,” added James.

The document, which was seen by The Gleaner, has signatures purported to be those of councillors Rudolph Uter, of the Frome division; Lee Simpson, of the Savanna-la-Mar South division; Garfield James, of the Sheffield division; Lawton McKenzie, of the Grange Hill division; and Myles, of the Little London division.

Myles welcomed the involvement of the fraud squad, saying light needs to be shed as it relates to the alleged fraudulent document.

“You cannot run a corporation with the magnitude of the municipality and people are just going to take your signature from a computer and copy and paste it on any document,” argued Myles.

“An investigation is ongoing, but, outside of the police external to the institution doing their investigation, it’s something that internally we also have to do, because we need to know the persons who are involved, because that’s a serious breach of one’s professional ethics.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com