News
Middle Caicos Woman Charged with Alleged Criminal Acts of Dishonesty
Wilkie Arthur
Eagle Legal News
Tuesday, October 8th, 2024 | Turks and Caicos Islands – Tessa Been-Malcolm, 41, a resident of Middle Caicos, appeared before the Magistrate’s Court this morning (October 8th, 2024), facing three charges related to the alleged embezzlement of $151,887.98 from the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP).
The charges were brought by Inspector Paulin Nemours of the Financial Crime Unit. Standing before Chief Magistrate Jolyon Hatmin at the Supreme Court SIPT Building, Been-Malcolm was supported by her family and friends from Middle Caicos.
The allegations against her include the following:
- False Accounting:
Between September 2019 and August 2022, while employed at the NHIP in Providenciales, Been-Malcolm allegedly falsified journal entries, misrepresenting that $151,887.98 had been deducted from her salary and paid towards a loan with Global Capitol, when no such deductions were made.
- Use of Criminal Property:
Over the same period, she is accused of using the aforementioned $151,887.98, which she knew or suspected to represent criminal property, belonging to the TCI NHIP.
- Theft of a Chose in Action:
Been-Malcolm is also charged with the theft of the funds in question during the same period.
Represented by Mrs. Lara Maroof Misick of Maroof Law, Been-Malcolm’s passport was seized following an application by Principal Public Prosecutor Mr. Clement Joseph. Should she need to travel, she must first seek approval from the court. Bail was set at $50,000, and the case has been transferred to the Supreme Court for a sufficiency hearing on December 6th.