Prosecutors in a case involving over $3 million allegedly stolen by fraud from First Citizens Bank are resisting the bank’s request for the money to be handed over to it for safekeeping. This is even though the Central Bank has said it was willing to take custody of the cash during the case. Attorney for First Citizen, Sophia Chote, SC, told the court yesterday two of the accused were reported to have fled to Venezuela.
Summer Bristol and Shawn Davis were granted bail and flew to England. After being deported on May 24 they returned to Trinidad around 9 pm but eluded police at Piarco and have since disappeared. Bristol, 32, a hairdresser of Millennium Park, Trincity, and Davis, 39, an engineer of Eric Roach Circular Road, La Horquetta, are jointly charged alongside promoter Lincoln Amery Gopeechan, 30, of Fourth Street, Montague Avenue, Trincity, and electrician Leon Gomes, 38, of Spring Village, Valsayn.
Referring to the amount of money stated in Chote’s application, senior state attorney Brent Winter said Tunapuna magistrate Brahman and Dubay last week issued a first detention order for $900,000 to be handed over to the Comptroller of Accounts. Responding to that, Chote later said amendments would be made to the application before the court.
Winter argued the court had no jurisdiction under Section 41 (4) of the Summary Courts Act to order the remaining amount be handed over to FCB, adding that the money seized was “legitimate cash” and not counterfeit. The matter came up before Magistrate Marcia Murray in the Port-of-Spain First Court. Winter said he had presented documents to opposing counsel, relating to the seizure of money at a townhouse in Trincity.
He said $2,255,890 had been found in a house at Millennium Park and had been produced as evidence before Magistrate Natalie Diop. In reply, Chote said the application before the court would be amended. Winter argued that the court had no jurisdiction under Section 41 (4) of the Summary Courts Act to order the remaining amount to be handed over to FCB. Murray adjourned the matter to June 6.