KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Finance and Public Service is today reporting the arrests of two individuals by officers of the Revenue Protection Division (RPD).

According to a release form the ministry, the arrests of 47-year-old Llewellyn Samuels and 38-year-old Steven Ming, were based on allegations of their involvement in uttering forged documents and embezzlement.

Samuels who is a businessman of a St Andrew address was arrested on a charge of uttering forged documents.  It is alleged that the owner of a motor truck asked Samuels to licence the vehicle on his behalf.

Samuels allegedly presented a motor vehicle registration certificate (MVRC) to the truck owner.

 The MVRC indicated that the licence fees had been paid. The MVRC was subsequently presented at a Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) location where it was identified as one that had been stolen from the TAJ, the ministry said.

The RPD was alerted and investigations ensued, leading to Samuel’s arrest.

Samuels is to attend the Corporate Area Criminal Court on Thursday, May 26, to answer to the charge.  Meanwhile, Ming,an employee of the TAJ’s Property & Security Unit, was arrested and charged with  embezzlement, by officers of the RPD, on Friday May 20.

Allegations are that Ming, whilst working as a Compliance Officer in the Property Tax Unit, accepted monies from taxpayers to pay property tax arrears. The sums were not paid and subsequent cheques collected from other taxpayers to pay specified arrears, were allocated to those property tax& arrears in an attempt to address the outstanding balances.

He is booked to appear in the Corporate Area Criminal Court on June 2.