The trial of former PPP/C minister Dr Jennifer Westford and her former aide Margaret Cummings, who are charged with the alleged theft of over $600 million from the government, continued yesterday with further testimony from detective Richard Frank, who recounted a confrontation that was held between Cummings and Joe Harold Williams, the Office of the President accountant, over signed payment vouchers and monies.
Frank, Detective Inspector of Police attached to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), continued his testimony yesterday after it was halted on Monday because of objections by Westford’s attorney, Senior Counsel Neil Boston, who said he was not served with the witness’ statements on 14 memorandums.
Yesterday, in the courtroom of Magistrate Judy Latchman, defence attorneys Dexter Todd, Bettina McKay-Glasford and Boston told the court that they have the statements of Frank. Magistrate Latchman told the court that the record reflects that the defence signed for the statements.
State Prosecutor Teshanna Lake asked that before they moved forward in the case, the defence should make certain that they have all the pages of all the statements, numbered from page 1 to 1033.
During Frank’s testimony, he was called upon to recall 13 out of 24 memorandums for the court. Frank called out the 14 Memorandums, the 14 payment vouchers and the 13 Bank of Guyana cheques that he said were all handed to him by Harold Williams, the accountant attached to the former Office of the President. The detective told the court that on August 13, he held a confrontation with Cummings and Williams, when Williams told him that Cummings signed the payment vouchers and uplifted the monies. The witness said that Cummings replied that “she had nothing to say.”
Frank told the court that throughout his investigations, while he showed Westford and Cummings the 14 Memorandums, the 14 payment vouchers and the 13 Bank of Guyana cheques, they chose to remain silent.
The witness told the court that after he completed his investigations, he placed the documents in a file and lodged them with an officer in charge of keeping documentary evidence at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.
State Prosecutor Lake, made an application for the documents containing the memorandums to be identified in court by the witness. Lake told the court that documents the witness has in court are copies of the memorandums and the prosecution will lay over the originals to the court at a next date.
Frank’s testimony along with that of the Chief Accountant at the Ministry of the Presidency Andre Dazzell will continue on February 1.
