PRIME Minister Portia Simpson-Miller is not the only high-profile public figure whose National Housing Trust (NHT) account was affected in an embarrassing case of fraud at the housing agency for which five persons, including a senior employee, have been charged.

Clifford Chamber, the superintendent in charge of the Fraud Squad, told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that monies were also taken from the accounts of former Prime Minister PJ Patterson; Audley Shaw, the former finance minister in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Administration; and former JLP member of Parliament, Michael Stern.

According to Chambers, little over $200,000 was taken from Patterson’s account. Shaw’s account was raided for $133,000. The prime minister had $82,000 taken from her account and $67,000 was taken from that of Stern’s. The accounts were raided multiple times.

The four are among a total of 19 account holders affected by the fraud that took place over a two-year period starting in 2010, Chambers said.

The total amount taken from the 19 accounts amounted to just over a million dollars.

Earlier in a release yesterday, the NHT denied that the prime minister’s refunds had been stolen. The release did not mention the public figures whose accounts were affected.

“The NHT regrets the incident but assures its contributors that it was through its diligence and the quality of its internal controls that the suspected fraud was detected,” said the release. The agency said it is co-operating with investigators.

Forty-three-year-old Ann-Marie Connallie of the NHT’s Contribution Refunds Unit, who resides in Portmore, St Catherine, along with four young persons, whose names are being withheld by the police, are charged with falsification of accounts, conspiracy to defraud and causing money to be paid out by means of false pretense.

The five are to appear in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court early next week.

According to Chambers, the fraud was perpetrated when the system inside the Contribution Refunds Unit was manipulated to create fraudulent refunds which were allegedly collected by the four young accused.

The information was manipulated to show that the victims had applied for their contribution refund but then the names were changed, allegedly to those of the four young accused, to facilitate the collection of the funds, said Chambers.

The names, it is being alleged, were then changed back to those of the original account holders after the funds were picked up.

The young accused, who Chambers said are 23 years and under, have not been contributing to the NHT for the required seven years, which would make them eligible to apply for refunds.