After spending a weekend in prison, a 42-year-old accountant accused of defrauding her employer of $1.5 million has been released on bail.
Joanne Gobin, of Upper Bournse Road, St James, was granted $400,000 bail when she reappeared before Magistrate Christine Charles yesterday in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate's Court yesterday morning.
Charles had refused bail Gobin last Friday, as police had not processed her criminal record for her court appearance. During yesterday's hearing, the record, which showed that Gobin did not have any previous conviction or pending criminal charges, was presented.
As a condition of her bail, Gobin was ordered to surrender her passport. She is also to give the court two week's notice if she ever decides to move from her current home.
Gobin, an employee of SMJ Limited, faces 515 fraud and larceny charges.
The company, based at the Fernandes Industrial Estate, Eastern Main Road, Laventille, operates an employment outsourcing service for supermarkets.
Half the charges are for allegedly stealing the money in tranches, ranging from $500 to $15,000, while the rest were for making fraudulent entries in the company's accounting records. The charges carry maximum sentences of ten years and five years in prison, respectively. Gobin is accused of registering fake staff into her company's payroll database and of withdrawing their corresponding salaries from the company's account.
The offences are alleged to have taken place from January 2011 until the discrepancies were discovered by the company and reported to the Fraud Squad last year. She is being represented by Criston J Williams.
Meanwhile, a 35-year-old credit union manager charged with effecting a fraudulent $50 million wire transfer is having difficulties in accessing his bail.
Last week, Darren Singh, a manger at Cement Workers' Credit Union (CEMCU), was granted $3.5 million bail for the charge.
When he reappeared in court yesterday, his lawyer Martin George claimed the clerk of the peace at the St Vincent Street courthouse, twice refused to accept documents presented by Singh relatives. George claimed that the public servant then advised his client that she would not be entertaining any further attempts to access the bail.
Magistrate Charles expressed shock upon hearing George's claims as she stated that such a decision by the clerk was not allowed.
George also applied to vary Singh's bail condition barring him from contact with a colleague, the State's main witnesses against him. George stated that the witness was Singh's tenant and Singh wished to evict him from the property.
After the claim was verified by police prosecutor Sgt Callistas Charles (no relation), Charles decided to permit the communication, albeit only through George.
Singh is accused of using a fraudulent document to transfer a substantial sum from the Unit Trust Corporation (UTC) to an account at Republic Bank's branch,Tropical Plaza, Point Lisas.
The transfer allegedly took place on January 18, 2013. UTC has claimed that the discrepancy was detected by its staff shortly after and the transfer was reversed.
Singh will reappear in court on February 6.