A police constable is among four persons charged by officers of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB), with land fraud this week.

According to a statement from the TTPS:

“No. 14010 PC CURTIS PIERRE, 50, last attached to Central Division and SANDY DHANASSER PIERRE, 38, of Cunupia were jointly charged with three counts of Possession of Forged Documents, PC Pierre was also charged with three counts of Fraudulently Causing the Acceptance of a Valuable Security, PC Pierre, GERMAINE CASSANDRA PIERRE, 48, of Cunupia and CHEZ BRATHWAITE, 46, of Chaguanas, were charged with one
count each of Conspiracy to Defraud, PC Pierre and Brathwaite were jointly charged with one Count of Conspiracy to Defraud, and, PC Pierre, Brathwaite and Dhanasser-Pierre were jointly charged with one count of Conspiracy to Defraud.

Cassandra-Pierre and Dhanasser-Pierre were granted bail with surety by a Justice of the Peace in the sum of $150,000 and ordered to appear before an Arima Magistrate on November 3rd, 2022. PC Pierre was remanded into custody on outstanding warrants.

PC Pierre and Brathwaite, who was also remanded into custody, are scheduled to appear before a Port of Spain Magistrate, today Wednesday 2nd November 2022.

Reports indicate that in July 2022, personnel attached to the Land Management Division of the Commissioner of State Lands Office, discovered three fraudulent Standard Agricultural Leases for 90 acres of State lands purportedly leased to three persons. It was also discovered that the leases were fraudulently registered at the Registrar General Office of Trinidad and Tobago on October 12th, 2022.

Several signatures, inclusive of the Acting Commissioner of State Lands and Attorneys attached to the Chief State Solicitor’s Office were all found to be forged.

A report was made to the police and officers of the ACIB conducted extensive and painstaking enquiries supervised by Snr. Supt. Dennis Knutt and Supt. Singh, during the period July 2022 and October 2022.

As a result of the investigations, ASP (Ag.) Bryon Daniel, along with W/Insp. Mc Millan, Sgts. Baldwin and Codrington, Cpl Brown, WPCs Harewood and Loney-Phillip and PC Williams, aided by multiple intelligence agencies, executed search warrants at the homes of four persons which led to the seizure of certified copies of forged Standard Agricultural Leases.

Additionally, the sum of TT$146,200 was also found and seized at the home of two of the suspects. It is currently the subject of a Financial Investigations Bureau enquiry. Charges were laid against the four accused by WPC Loney-Phillip of the ACIB.

Five persons have now been charged with land fraud in the past month.”