LUCEA, Hanover — President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Dr Mark Nicely says seven houses, valued at some $91 million, have so far been identified by the Police Fraud Squad as assets purchased with money pilfered from the association’s account.

Dr Nicely was speaking at a Parish Half-Yearly Teachers’ Meeting at the former Jockey International Garment Factory in Hanover on Friday, where he gave an update of the fraud uncovered at the association earlier this year.

“Three of those houses were purchased in three consecutive months, valued at $61million,” said Dr Nicely, adding that some of the houses purchased were undervalued.

The JTA president said, over a 16 month-period, the association’s internal investigation team has calculated, thus far, that over $76 million was fraudulently taken from the coffers of the JTA, while investigations undertaken by the Fraud Squad have uncovered figures in the region of $150 million that date back to the year 2010. However, Dr Nicely said the JTA has some catching up to do with their internal investigations.

He told the teachers that the JTA is soon to commission a forensic audit — to be undertaken by Pricewaterhouse Coopers– which is expected to go beyond the last 16 months.

Dr Nicely also stated that the JTA has laid internal charges against three members of staff in connection with the case of the fraud, two of whom are accountants. “This is presently been dealt with internally by the association,” he stressed.

The JTA president also indicated that the association has acquired the services of a legal team, which includes two well-known female attorneys, to handle the fraud case in a bid to recover the assets involved.

Meanwhile, Dr Nicely said Marlon Francis, the accounting clerk wanted for questioning in the multimillion-dollar fraud case, had left the island for the United Kingdom, from where it is believed that he later moved on to the United States of America, then to another country after reportedly changing his identity.

“As to locating Marlon Francis in the US, it is going to be somewhat difficult based on the mind that we have ascertain this individual to have. It is highly likely that he no longer holds a passport that he once had; it is highly likely that he has a new identity. It is possible that he is no longer in the US, and would has left under a different name. So, there is the option of deportation, there is the option of extradition but, of course, you have to find the individual to do either of those two, and we are not able to find him just yet,” the JTA president stated.