The $400-million Manchester Municipal Corporation fraud trial ended on Friday, May 15, 2020 with the conviction of main accused 35-year-old Sanja Elliott, the corporation's former deputy superintendent of road and works; his wife, Tasha-gaye Goulbourne-Elliott; two former employees of the corporation, David Harris, secretary/manager and acting chief executive officer and Kendale Roberts, temporary works overseer; as well as Dwayne Sibblies, a former employee of Sanja Elliott.
She admits to withdrawing monies between June and July 2016 from a joint account she holds with her husband at Jamaica National and conducting a transaction for a manager's cheque made payable to a third party, to complete a motor vehicle transaction, and that all additional sums withdrawn while her husband was in custody were used for legal fees.
[47] It is instructive that prior to the arrest of Mr Elliott, Mrs Goulbourne-Elliot had no dealings with the Jamaica National bank account from which the funds were withdrawn.
What the Crown has asserted is that, in relation to the invoices signed by Mr Roberts verifying that the work was in fact done, that this was a part of the conspiracy to defraud the council.
This is so because the witnesses as to fact, the alleged contractors, all testified that in relation to invoices signed by Mr Roberts no work was in fact done, as they commissioned no work to be done but collected the money and gave it to Mr Elliott.
