MoBay cop on corruption charge for court on March 30
MONTEGO BAY, St James – Ricardo Evans, a Montego Bay Constable who is facing a corruption charge, is booked to reappear before the city’s Resident Magistrate’s Court on March 30.
The cop, who has been charged under the Corruption Prevention Act and in accordance with a ruling from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, has been offered bail in the sum of $100,000.
The resident of Cornwall Courts, St James was slapped with the charge after he allegedly accepted $30,000 from a motor cyclist in exchange for not prosecuting him.
On February 3, the complainant – Robert Valentine – was reportedly stopped during a police road check that resulted in the seizure of the motor cycle he was riding. Valentine, it is alleged, subsequently entered into negotiations with the lawman and arrangements were made for him to pay over $30,000 so that the bike might be returned. To cement the deal, the officer reportedly took the complainant’s TRN card and later met with the complainant who gave him JA$20,000 and US$130.
After that initial payment, the bike was allegedly returned, but the cop held on to the TRN card as security for the payment of the balance.
But the matter was reported to the police, who set up a sting operation in which the complainant met Evans at the Island Grill fast food store in the resort city. Evans, the court was told, showed up on his motorcycle with a pillion rider who subsequently took $2,000 from the complainant before handing him his TRN card.
A case file was subsequently prepared and submitted to the office of the DPP for a ruling, which came on February 6.
In court last week, Evans’ attorney, Dalton Reid, maintained that his client was innocent of the charge.
“The money was not handed over to Constable Evans. A sting operation was set up and the complainant came with $2,000 and handed it over to a third party instead,” Reid said, adding that his client did not leave his post before his shift was completed and that he was working with three other officers at the time.
“If the accused is guilty, he would be guilty of not prosecuting the complainant,” Reid said.
