Two accused in high-profile fraud case denied bail
GEORGE Knight, the former National Works Agency projects manager and one of his four co-accused were yesterday denied bail when they appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on fraud-related charges.
The men were remanded into custody after the court was told that the investigations were being carried out to determine the ownership of 30 rounds of ammunitions reportedly found at premises when the five men were arrested last week Friday.
The other accused remanded along with Knight, 44, is Clava Mantock Jnr, a 32-year-old analyst of Musgrave Road, Kingston 5.
The ammunitions were allegedly found at premises belonging to Mantock Jnr but is said to belong to Knight. Attorney Peter Champagnie told the court that the Knight is a licensed firearm holder.
Meanwhile, Knight’s brother, Andrew Bobb, a 48 year-old inspector of police of Anchovy, Portland; Clava Mantock Snr, 62-year-old electrical engineer of Sterling Castle, Red Hills, St Andrew; and Melville Edwards, a 40-year-old business manager of Birdsucker Mews, Kingston 8 were each offered bail in the sum of $2 million.
The men have been slapped with charges of uttering forged documents and conspiracy to deceive, following what the police said was a two-year investigation.
The Crown is alleging that Knight’s company Cenitech Engineering Solutions submitted a number of forged documents to the National Contracts Commission (NCC) to be registered as an approved contractor. The company reportedly provided the names of several persons to support its application and was later selected for a $732-million construction project in St Thomas.
The court was told that a man listed as an employee subsequently denied being employed to the company, saying he hadn’t given permission for his name to be used to on the application to the NCC. The police were subsequently called in.
Bobb, the court was told, said he signed the documents because he knew the men and that he’s a justice of the peace.
The five were booked to return to court on August 4.
— Paul Henry
