Andrew Wright, a familiar name in Jamaica’s entertainment scene, is now facing prison time after being convicted in one of the country’s most high-profile public sector fraud cases that has shocked many online users.
Wright, known for staging French Connection and Chug It parties, was found guilty alongside former INSPORTS colleagues Rudolph Barnes and Oneil Hope. The verdict came after years of investigation into a scheme that prosecutors said syphoned millions from the state-run sports agency through fraudulent cheques, according to the Jamaica Observer.
The matter first came to light after a 2017 internal audit, sparking an investigation by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA). Reports say that the court heard that the men orchestrated payments to individuals with no connection to INSPORTS, using their positions inside the agency to authorise and process the transactions. The case seemingly presented Wright, the former financial controller, as a central figure who abused his authority to sustain the scheme.
Wright faced the stiffest penalties on the defence. He was convicted on ten counts of conspiracy to defraud. He was also found guilty of corruption, engaging in a criminal transaction, and facilitating the retention of criminal property. Barnes was found guilty of ten counts of conspiracy and one count of corruption.
Meanwhile, the third defendant, Hope, was convicted on six conspiracy charges and one count of acquiring criminal property. The three men were remanded and will be sentenced on November 21, according to the Jamaica Observer.
Meanwhile, three women who had been charged in connection with the case, Andrea Picton, Sherene Farquharson, and Jonnique Mills, were acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence against them. Notably, Picton and Farquharson were both accounting clerks.
According to reports, Wright and Hope intend to fight the convictions. Their attorneys signalled intentions to appeal the convictions, per the report.