THREE senior police officers were, on Wednesday, charged by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for allegedly falsifying accounts amounting to $3.6 million for meals that were never served.
The officers are former Police Finance Officer, Senior Superintendent (ag) Marcelene Washington and her deputy, Deputy Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg and former Deputy Commander of Division 4B, Superintendent Lorraine Saul. They were all charged jointly with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.
Additionally, Saul was charged separately with two counts of falsification of an account by an officer. This is the third time in the space of two weeks that charges related to fraud were instituted against her by SOCU.

The matters were called before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Washington and Saul did not appear to answer to the charges, as they are currently not within the jurisdiction. The matters were adjourned to May 14, 2021, in anticipation of their return.
Jackman-Wilburg appeared in person before the Chief Magistrate, who read the indictable charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 34 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act.
The officer was not required to plead and was granted bail in the sum of $150,000 on each charge.
The particulars of the charge allege that Washington, Jackman-Wilburg and Saul with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons while being officers employed by the GPF, to falsify a feeding account in the sum of $1,440,000 for meals purportedly provided by the Felix Austin Police College (FAPC) Mess to ranks, who performed fixed-point duty at the Suicide Helpline between the period October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.

Further, it is alleged that Washington, Jackman-Wilburg and Saul with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons while being officers of the GPF, to falsify a feeding account in the sum of $2,246,400 for meals purportedly provided by the FAPC Mess to ranks, who performed fixed-point duty at the Mounted Branch between the period October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.
Investigations by SOCU revealed that Saul, who was, at the time, the officer in charge at the FAPC Mess, caused two feeding accounts to be prepared on November 2, 2020, for the feedings at the Suicide Helpline and at the Mounted Branch, respectively, for the period between October 16, 2020 to October 31, 2020.
The accounts were processed at the Police Finance Office and a payment voucher was approved for the sum of $1,440,000 and $2,246,400 for the said accounts respectively; a total of $3,686,400.

SOCU investigations further revealed that Washington and Jackman-Wilburg allegedly colluded with Saul to defraud, as they authorised the payments, when in fact no such duty existed and no such meals were distributed to ranks as stated on the accounts.
Saul, who is the former officer in charge of the Brickdam Police Station’s Other Ranks Mess, was charged recently with Assistant Superintendent of Police, Kurt Smith, who was the officer in charge of the Finance Department of the Guyana Police Force.
The duo was charged jointly on April 15 with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 34 of the Criminal Law Offences Act, while Saul was also charged separately with two counts of falsification of accounts, contrary to Section 208 (b) of the Criminal Law Offences Act.
Smith had appeared before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, where he was not required to plead to the charges as they were indictable, and was placed on $100,000 bail, while the court was informed that Saul is currently not in the country.

In those matters, upon SOCU’s investigation, it was found that Saul prepared an account and petty contract dated December 18, 2020, for meals purportedly supplied to ranks who performed fixed-point duties at the Georgetown Holding Centre, Sophia, between December 1 and December 15, 2020, in the sum of $348,000.
Further, Saul prepared two similar accounts, dated December 18, 2020, for meals purportedly supplied to ranks who performed fixed-point duties at the Georgetown Public Hospital Police Outpost and Georgetown Magistrates’ Court lockups between December 1 and 15, 2020, to the sum of $189,000 and $598,4000, respectively.
The investigations discovered that on each occasion she inflated the number of ranks and meals, and that Smith, as Finance Officer (ag), allegedly, knowingly colluded with Saul to defraud and authorise the payments when the amount of feeding never took place.

Saul and Smith were also charged jointly, on April 12, with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 34 of the Criminal Law Offences Act, and Saul was also charged separately with two counts of falsification of accounts, contrary to Section 208 (b) of the Criminal Law Offences Act.
In those matters, upon investigation, SOCU found that Saul prepared an account and petty contract, dated December 18, 2020 for meals purportedly supplied to ranks who performed duties at the ‘A’ Division Riot Unit between December 1 and 15, 2020, to the amount of $1,350,000, when no such training was done for this period.
Further, it was found that Saul also prepared another account and petty contract dated the same dates for meals purportedly supplied to ranks, who performed fixed-point duties at the Georgetown Prison between December 1 and December 15, 2020, to the amount of $648,000; however, she inflated the number of ranks and number of meals on this account by $465,000.