PHILIPSBURG–The trial of two former InselAir employees was suspended Wednesday to obtain bank statements to assess the exact amounts they allegedly defrauded from their employer.
InselAir St. Maarten’s Station Manager A.A.H. (51) and Sales Agent S.B.B. (28) are accused of defrauding the airline of approximately US $100,000. As the two are contesting the alleged amounts, which they claim were in fact about one-third lower, the Judge decided to suspend the hearing of this case to add bank statements to the case file.
The funds were discovered to be missing after an audit by an external team of investigators mid-August 2016, after reports of missing funds had surfaced at the main office in Curaçao several months before.
The airline discovered that funds were missing and sent the manager on immediate leave of absence, while the company terminated the sales agent’s contract.
Talks started for a settlement between parties, but management decided to go another route and filed an official complaint with the police.
Meanwhile, A.A.H. travelled to the Dominican Republic. He was arrested May 16, 2017, on his return to St. Maarten and was taken into custody for some time.
Both defendants are suspected of embezzlement and money-laundering. Both confessed to the Judge on Wednesday that they had taken money from their employer as they had felt they were underpaid.
According to InselAir, which announced it will file claims against its two former employees, A.A.H. defrauded them of $88,450 and S.B.B. of almost $30,000.
The money was obtained from ticket sales. Part of the revenues were not deposited in the company’s bank account but allegedly disappeared into the manager’s and sales agent’s pockets.
The Judge suspended Wednesday’s hearing and said the trial would be resumed well before the mid-year recess.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/75596-case-against-inselair-fraudsters-held-to-obtain-bank-statements
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