MONTEGO BAY, St James – The case against a St James woman who was accused of stealing nearly $2 million from her employer, Beryllium, was settled through mediation after the company agreed to pursue that route.

Shamoya Coley, an employee of the company best known for proving armoured vehicles to transport large sums of cash, was charged with larceny as a servant. She appeared before presiding Judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley and was represented by attorney-at-law Albert Morgan.

According to court documents, between August 1 and September 4, supervisors at the Beryllium office in Ironshore, Montego Bay, determined that the branch was failing financially and initiated an audit.

It was later discovered that the company was behind on deposits, and checks revealed an irregularity with one of the deposits, prompting further investigation. The security footage was viewed and the defendant was seen taking money from a deposit, hiding it under her computer keyboard, then retrieving it and leaving.

Her locker was searched and $226,000 was found.

The audit team thoroughly examined the financial records and scrutinised every transaction, and discovered that a total of $1.76 million was missing.

During a recent hearing, Smith-Ashley questioned a Beryllium representative in court about his level of authority and whether he had the authority to make binding mediation decisions. The representative confirmed that he had been given complete authority to negotiate and settle on Beryllium’s behalf.

The case was stood down to allow the parties to have discussions with a mediator who was also present in court.

When the case was revisited, the court was told that the parties had reached an amicable settlement.

In accordance with the mediation agreement, the prosecution offered no evidence against Coley.