Cheque irregularities: Knox Community College sends accounting staff on leave to probe possible fraud.

Knox Community College in Spalding, Clarendon

 

According to a release issued on January 17, 2023 by Knox College's principal, Dr. Davia Ramgeet, several members of the accounting staff of the school have been sent on administrative leave while possible  cheque fraud is investigated. 

In the release, the principal confirmed that an investigation was underway and the "relevant authorities" have been called in to investigate and uncover the discrepancies. The release revealed that the school was recently notified of falsification of three (3) cheques that were issued to the NCB bank on the school's behalf. It appears that the cheques had "numbers coinciding with ones issued by the College but apparently altered to reflect greater amounts." 

According to the statement, after certain checks were made, it was discovered that "cheque items" had been previously paid, prompting the school to notify the General Secretary of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJC is the College's founders and administrators), the schools' board, the Deputy Commissioner of Police - Crime and Security portfolio, the school's auditors, the Ministry of Education, and NCB's Fraud Prevention Unit. Though the release noted that several staff of the school had been sent on administrative release they assured the public that measures would be put in place to ensure "business continuity."