Sagicor contractors charged in connection with fraud scheme each granted $850,000 bail

The four Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited contractors accused of trying to defraud the company out of a total of $130 million using fraudulent documents were today each offered $850,000 bail when they appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

Michael Fenton, Orlando Breakenridge, Cebert Watt, and Michael Douse were offered bail by Parish Judge Leighton Morris.

Bail was granted on condition that they report twice weekly to the nearest police station and surrender their travel documents.

A stop order was also imposed at all ports.

The men are all charged with conspiracy to defraud, possession of criminal property, receiving stolen property and engaging in a transaction involving criminal property.

Fenton is also charged with possession and dealing in ganja.

The accused were arrested on Monday during simultaneous operations carried out by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) agents and other law enforcers staged across four locations in Kingston and St Andrew, in connection with an ongoing investigation into allegations of forgery and fraudulent payments involving contractors and employees of Sagicor.

Director of Communications at MOCA, Major Basil Jarrett, said the scheme is alleged to have taken place between 2016 and 2019.

He said it unravelled in April 2019 when Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) and accompanying invoices were allegedly submitted to Sagicor Property Services by Fenton, the owner of M Fenton Construction Limited, for payment.

Jarrett said during processing it was discovered that the documents, including the signatures of authorised signing officers, had been forged.

MOCA's investigation into the matter later revealed an organised scheme involving contractors and employees of Sagicor Group to defraud the company by submitting multiple IPCs and invoices for work purportedly completed at properties owned or managed by Sagicor Property Services.

Payments were subsequently made based on the fraudulent documents.

The men are to return to court on March 21.

Attorney-at-law Shamar Hanson is representing Fenton while attorney-at-law Pierre Rodgers is representing Breakenridge.

Attorney-at-law John Jacobs is appearing for Douse while lawyer Georgia Samuels is defending Watt.

- Tanesha Mundle

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