MANCHESTER, Jamaica— The highly watched Manchester Municipal Corporation fraud trial went on break a short while ago with senior parish court judge Ann-Marie Grainger stating that the convicted are to return at 2:00 pm for sentencing.

Three former employees of the Manchester Municipal Corporation, formerly the Manchester Parish Council, and two co-accused were convicted on May 15.

Former deputy superintendent of roads and works, Sanja Elliot; former secretary manager David Harris; former temporary works overseer Kendale Roberts; and carpenter/ gardener Dwayne Sibbles were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the local government authority.

They were also found guilty of breaching the country’s Corruption Prevention Act.

Sanja Elliot’s wife, TashaGaye Goulbourne Elliott, was also found guilty of facilitating the retention of criminal property.

The Crown said that between 2013 and 2016, the Manchester Municipal Corporation was fleeced of public funds amounting to $400 million in a conspiracy involving the individuals who were found guilty.

The scheme allegedly began with the siphoning off of $10 million from the corporation from early 2014 and the end of 2016.

The attorneys representing the five convicts have asked that the court be lenient with their clients.

Kasey Williams