Principal Suelyn Ward-Brown set for June 4 trial in Clifton land fraud case

Principal Suelyn Ward-Brown will go on trial on June 4 in connection with the Clifton land fraud allegations. The St Catherine Parish Court set that date on Monday when the matter was called for mention.

After reviewing the file, the clerk of courts informed the court that the evidence on record is sufficient to support a prima facie case of fraudulent conversion. Defence attorney Deborah Martin objected, saying her side was caught off guard by that position. She said Ward-Brown had only prepared invoices for a man referred to as Mr Brown, who has not been charged and remains at large.

The court extended Ward-Brown's bail until the trial begins. The matter was first listed in the St Catherine Circuit Court but was sent back to the parish court after it was found that some counts did not meet the level required for prosecution at circuit level.

Ward-Brown faces charges under the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Law Reform Fraudulent Transactions Special Provisions Act, and conspiracy to defraud. Five people have told authorities they paid the school principal more than $4 million for land they understood to be near Clifton in St Catherine. One complainant said a single plot cost $2.4 million, while others reported payments of $800,000 and $600,000.