A magistrate on Thursday set November 8 as the trial date for a policeman and two other persons facing charges for allegedly attempting to fraudulently get a $45-million waiver for a used-car dealership

The three:

. Joni Williams, 33, of Kingston 8;

. Alvern Bird, 39, of Kingston 19; and

. Special Constable Ann-Marie McKaline have all been charged with conspiracy to defraud, forgery and uttering forged documents, following police investigations into the alleged fraud.

According to the police, some time between 1991 and 2001 the Taxpayer Audit and Assessment Department conducted an audit of Service Zone 2001 Limited, a certified used car dealership, and established that the firm owed taxes mounting to $45,425,893.09.

The court was told that during the month of September 2005 Bird and Williams, who were then directors of the car dealership, allegedly forwarded a fraudulent letter to the company’s attorney, stating that the dealership had received a full waiver on the taxes owed to government. This letter was purportedly signed by junior finance minister Fitz Jackson.

When the letter was submitted by the company’s attorney to the tax appeal court, in an effort to secure a discontinuation of the matter, it was subsequently discovered that the letter advising of the granting of the waiver was fraudulent.

After being questioned by the police, the directors, according to court documents, initially stated that they had paid an external party $150,000 to secure the document granting the waiver. Subsequently, on March 29 of this year Bird and Williams were interviewed by the police, but court documents said they “failed to answer pertinent questions”. Both directors were then arrested and charged.

Arising out of further investigations into the incident, Special Constable McCallen became a suspect, and after being held by the police she, too, was arrested and charged.