Two prison officers accused of theft from the state have been released on bail after appearing in court.
Starcom Network News understands that the two, a male and a female, employed at Dodds Prison in St. Philip have been charged with theft of in excess of ten thousand dollars in appliances that belonged to the prison.
They appeared at the District C Magistrates Court and were granted bail in the amount of five thousand dollars each, with no conditions attached.
Starcom Network News also understands that the two were among employees of the prison who were questioned as part of a probe into certain irregularities in relation to purchases for the correctional facility.
Starcom has previously reported that a prisoner officer was in custody while a civilian employee of the prison’s accounting department had been questioned and released over items that had allegedly been purchased for the prison but were unaccounted for.
Starcom Network News had learned that an investigation was launched after a number of items that were apparently purchased for the St. Philip prison could not be found in the facility.
Sources had told Starcom that the missing items included two dryers, a fridge, and a washing machine and that one of the items had been recovered by police.
Starcom was also told that the probe was focusing on money that had been spent on behalf of the prison but was unaccounted for.
There were allegations of items being purchased on behalf of the prison without compliance with the required procedures, such as purchase orders, which would be a criminal offense and would also result in the suppliers not being paid.
