One of the most talked One about cases in months, an alleged one hundred million dollar ($100-M) fraud goes to the St Ann’s Bay Resident Magistrates Court Tuesday.
Multiple charges have been brought against 39-year-old Hansley Berry, businessman and account executive 26-year-old De’Andra Gibbs of Tower Isle St Mary,
Berry has been charged with 29 counts of receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
Gibbs has been charged with 29 counts of falsification of accounts, 29 counts of conversion and conspiracy.
Both are represented by Oswest Senior Smith.
The case has been drawing attention because of the allegations as well as the players involved.
Berry is the operator of Petcom Service Station, Moneague, St Ann and other businesses, including furniture and appliances. A church elder, he is known for his work in communities around Ocho Rios.
Miss Gibbs was a senior executive at Cool Corp, Ocho Rios, a petroleum and retails goods and services business. Also she operated other businesses including a transport provider and a baby clothes shop. She is known as a sharp dresser and hard worker.
Eyebrows were raised recently when a newspaper ad identified her as no longer allowed to do business on behalf of Cool Oasis.
But last week the major organised crime and anti-corruption agency, (MOCA) investigations closed in on the two, with police staging a raid at the Moneague operations of Petcom. That was followed when Mr Berry was arrested at his home in Bell Air, Runaway Bay. With a warrant out for the arrest of Ms Gibbs, her attorney Oswest senior Smith took her in to MOCA in Kingston, Tuesday.
The two were questioned separately and though Senior Smith wanted to get the matter in court Friday police did not announce the charges until Friday morning, August 7, ensuring that the two accused spent the weekend in lock up.
Gibbs was being held at the Central Village lock-up, St Catherine and Berry at Half Way Tree, St Andrew.
When the two appear in court Tuesday, bail will be sought for them and details of the prosecution’s case and the allegations should become clearer.
However, it is being alleged that over a one year period, starting last year September, Ms Gibbs and Mr Berry conspired to steal petroleum products distributed by Cool Corp and to make those products available to Berry’s operations, without payment to the supplier. It is being alleged that Ms Gibbs, inserted herself in the accounting/dispatch process at the company and directed the deliveries. That should have been made to other stations, be made to Berry with the proceeds being kept by the two of them.
