The two persons accused of being the masterminds behind the $8M scam at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, are to return to court on February 3.

The two, Adlyn Smith and Marvin Gayle, appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Glen Brown in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday. Both are charged with conspiracy to defraud and obtaining money by means of false pretence. Smith is also charged with causing money to be paid out by false pretence.

The allegations are that between 2004 and May 2008, the female, who was employed as the senior administrative assistant in the Centre for Caribbean Thought, along with her alleged cronies, wrote up fraudulent subsistence claims, requesting payment for various fictitious transactions.

False or exaggerated

It is further alleged that the accused persons claimed for reimbursement for trips to the United Kingdom and the United States, days worth of hotel fees, payment for designing websites and for conducting research. It was later found out, however, that these claims were fraudulent and the activities that were claimed for were either false or exaggerated.

It is alleged that the female accused, in her position, signed the claims and authorised the bank or bursary to pay out the sums to herself and other persons.

It was also reported that some claims were written in fictitious names, in the names of persons who had nothing to do with the centre and in the names of some lecturers who were in some way affiliated with the centre.

Both accused persons were granted $500,000 station bail, which was extended when they appeared in court.