Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan yesterday placed a postmaster and a postal clerk attached to the Mahaicony Post Office on $200,000 bail each for allegedly stealing just over $1.5 million on two different occasions.

Postmaster Michael Joseph, 41, of Postmaster’s Quarters, Mahaicony and clerk Roxanne Abrams, 32, of Lot 5 Zeskenderen, Mahaicony were not required to plead to two larceny by clerk charges.

It is alleged that on December 16 at the Mahaicony Post Office the two being employed as clerk or servant at the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) stole the sum of $726,140. On December 18 it is alleged that they stole an additional sum of $814,052, property of the GPOC. The money was discovered missing after an audit was done.

Representing Joseph was attorney-at-law Roger Yearwood who told the court that his client had worked at the establishment for over 20 years. He added that Joseph has a fixed place of abode and was not a flight risk and asked for reasonable bail. Attorney-at-law James Bond representing Abrams, said in his bail application that his client had 13 years of service and that the funds did not concern her post. He added that her books balanced and that she was not on duty at Mahaicony but at the Rosignol post office on the dates when the money went missing. He said too that she was hard working and takes care of her mother.

Police Prosecutor Maxine Graham asked for substantial bail and that both defendants report to the police.

The magistrate granted bail and ordered that the two report to police headquarters and transferred their case to the Mahaicony Magistrate’s Court for February 5.