A FORMER financial manager of the state-owned company Vehicle Management Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (VMCOTT) has been charged with fraud.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) in a media release on Monday stated that Tamika Chavillieur, of Arima, was charged with three counts of Uttering Forged Documents and Obtaining Money by Virtue of Forged Documents when she appeared before a Master of the High Court the same day.
She was granted bail in the sum of $80,000 and the matter adjourned to April 14, 2025.
Reports indicate that in 2021, a woman applied to VMCOTT for the position of Finance Manager and in support of her application, she presented three professional certificates from tertiary education providers along with a certificate claiming she was an Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) member.
The documents were accepted as genuine and she was subsequently employed, the TTPS stated.
However, it was later discovered that the certificates were fraudulent.
A report was made to the Fraud Squad and an investigation was launched which resulted in Chavillieur’s on June 14.
The investigation was supervised by Snr Supt Arlet Groome, Supt Lutchman, W/Insp Smith and involved Cpls Edwards, Murray and Williams and WPC Jointe and PCs Ramkissoon and Thomas, all of the Fraud Squad.
Chavillieur was charged by Cpl (Ag) Kernahan, also of the Fraud Squad.
The TTPS advised employers are advised to practice due diligence when hiring new employees into their organisation by checking their credentials and references before employment.
There are various websites that provide for the verification of foreign education certificates. Additionally, most professional organizations provide a listing of their members which can be easily accessed online, the TTPS stated.
