Probe into multi-million fraud at Public Service Ministry completed

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Former Gov't Minister Jennifer Westford [iNews Photo]
Former Minister of Public Service, Jennifer Westford
Former Minister of Public Service, Jennifer Westford

[www.inewsguyana.com] – The police on Monday, September 07 dispatched in excess of twenty files to the chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in relation to the probe into the multi – million dollar fraud at the Ministry of Public Service, according to Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum.

iNews was reliably informed that the files implicate former Minister Jennifer Westford and her Personnel Officer, Margret Cummings as it relates to a $500M fraud at the Ministry.

The investigation was conducted by the fraud squad of the Criminal Investigation Department. All the files, according to iNews sources, have to do with the transfer of funds from the then Office of the President to the Ministry of Public Service and were done upon the request of Westford through Cummings.

Once the request reached the Office of the President, the funds were then signed off by then Permanent Secretary, Omar Sharif who still remains in the employ of the Ministry of the Presidency.

Westford was recently charged with s four counts of attempted larceny, involving a vehicle scam during her tenure as Public Service Minister. She was placed on $800,000 bail.

She was questioned by the police in the misappropriation of the funds, which was purportedly used under the guise to conduct a review of the services and programs of the Public Service.

However, employees there said there was no review conducted and the monies cannot be accounted for. The initial figure that the police were investigating in relation to Westford’s fraud matter was $120 million but that soon jumped to more than $170 million. The figure then moved to more than $400 million and now stands at in excess of $500 million.

 

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7 COMMENTS

  1. How can Omar Sharief, as Permanent Secretary, not know there were no reviews being done yet he signed off on the checks and still gets to keep his job? It won’t be witch-hunting or ethnic-cleasing if he is let go for gross incompetence. You cannot be a PS and not know what happened to GY$500 million you signed off on.

  2. Jail this greedy bastard and her cohorts. They are without shame. I shudder to think what has happened under the previous government under bahaRat and that incompetent ramorar. These people used tax payers monies as it were theirs. Snatch her ill gotten gains and throw her ass in jail. Hope she gets her weave done in there.

  3. I wonder when the GPL BANDITS WILL BE CHARGED AND PUT BEFORE THE COURTS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT RAMJATTAN AND BASIL WILLIAMS PROTECTING THEM. Hmmm

  4. Seems like someone who was such a professinal BEFORE she became a minister of government is in really deep trouble and might end up behind bars. I can say that Regional Health Officer, Dr Jennifer Westford, is not the very same person as Public Service Minister Dr Jennifer Westford – she received the Jagdeo touch and has never been the same again. So sad. But she made her ministerial bed and she will have to sleep on it.

  5. Seize her assets both here in guyana and US then jail her…. Thieving from the poor tax payer who can hardly afford to put food on their tables… Well good!… These people worship at the alter of corruption and almost bled guyana dry… Well, let’s see the others who did exactly the same go to court and be jailed… I have time to wait and see……

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