A man charged for forging documents related to the HDC has been denied bail.
44-year-old Corey Sutherland was denied bail when he appeared in court on May 6.
Two contractors reported to police that on April 30th, 2024, they were contacted by a man who claimed to be an employee of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). The man allegedly invited the contractors to bid for an HDC contract to construct homes in the Couva district.
Following site visits, the contractors were allegedly informed that they were awarded the contract and each given a Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago cheque drawn on the account of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in the sum of TT$828,104.64. The money represented a mobilization fee payment which was accepted as genuine and later found to be fraudulent.
The Fraud Squad is advising business owners, to be vigilant for fraudulent Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago cheques. Investigators say fraudsters are claiming to be employed with Government Ministries and in a position to acquire Government contracts for business owners, usually contractors with registered businesses. The contractors are then asked to pay kickbacks to the employee in exchange for the contract. They are then given these fraudulent cheques to take to the bank for encashment