MONTEGO BAY, St James — Evlin Bernard, the officer in charge of the accounts department at a prominent tour company in Montego Bay, is facing scrutiny after the discovery of irregular payments totalling $6.6 million.

On Wednesday, Bernard appeared before the St James Parish Court, facing two counts of larceny as a servant and three counts of falsification of accounts.

Court records trace the matter to April 2024, when company executives held a high-level meeting to assess the state of their finances. It was during this meeting that a decision was made to conduct a thorough audit to determine the company’s outstanding obligations.

Bernard, who oversees payroll and the company’s accounts, was instructed to update payroll records for staff operating in Negril — a routine duty that allegedly uncovered serious irregularities.

The allegations are that when the audit was completed, investigators discovered that several drivers had been overpaid, receiving payment far beyond the work they performed. The total of these questionable payments amounted to $6.6 million.

Court documents indicate that when Bernard was questioned about the discrepancies, she admitted awareness of the irregular payments, raising significant concerns about financial oversight and accountability within the company.

Following the discovery, the matter was referred to law enforcement authorities, leading to Bernard’s arrest and formal charges.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, the court was informed that certain key documents — the arresting officer’s statement and a copy of the audit report — were still outstanding.

Presiding over the proceedings, judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton extended Bernard’s bail, scheduling the next hearing for October 10.