The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

FIVE more Post Office Department employees testified yesterday that they conducted several transactions for Bahamian businessman Rudolph “Rudy” King who would frequent the various Post Offices on a regular basis.

The impresario is accused of defrauding the General Post Office of over half a million dollars, then laundering that amount between 2012 and 2015.

When he first appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle Davis in 2019, he denied five counts each of fraud and money laundering concerning allegations that he defrauded the Post Office’s savings account of $632,416 between June 2012 and April 2015.

Yesterday, Edna Saunders, who was employed at the department for 41 years, said she dealt with some of the accounts King had opened at the Savings Bank, including two in the names of Celebrating Women International and King Humanitarian Foundation and Corporation.

When Crown attorney Eucal Bonaby asked Mrs Saunders how often she would see King, she told him he would come in just about every week.

King is represented by Damien Gomez, QC. During his cross-examination of Mrs Saunders, she said each of King’s transactions that she signed off on appeared to be accurate. She also said his passbook appeared to be normal.

The second witness to take the stand was Vera Taylor who said she was employed at the Carmichael and General Post Offices for 33 years. She said she would normally see King on Fridays since he would come in to conduct withdrawals.

She was followed by Daphne Moss, who said she worked at the department’s Carmichael location at the time the fraud was alleged to have happened.

She said she dealt with a number of withdrawals and deposits for King, who she would see about four times a month.

When she testified under oath, Pheus Lightbourne, who was employed at the South Beach Post Office for 14 years, said King would come every week, sometimes twice a week.

In her witness statement the court was told that she had told police that she was never of the view that she did not have funds available to make the withdrawals that he requested.

When asked, Mrs Lightbourne also told Mr Gomez the reason for that position was because when she looked at King’s passbook for each withdrawal she processed, she noticed each entry had a Post Office stamp and initial, which indicated that an employee of the Savings Bank had made the entry.

“You also indicate that you had occasion in 2015 in the middle of the year to be concerned about an entry for a $100,000 deposit in the passbook,” Mr Gomez questioned. “That entry bore a Savings Bank stamp, correct?”

In response, Mrs Lightbourne said “yes.” When asked, she also agreed that the reason for her concern was the fact that the transaction was against the Savings Bank’s policy as it related to allowing large deposits at district stations.

The final witness to give evidence was Cheryl Rolle who said she was stationed at the General Post Office after working at the department for 22 years.

She said she conducted a number of transactions for King, including a withdrawal for $150,000 in March 2015, and another withdrawal for $1,600 in February 2015.

According to Mr Gomez, in Mrs Rolle’s witness statement, she inspected King’s passbook as a result of the $150,000 withdrawal request.

“Would it be true to say that you verified there was sufficient funds on the account based on what was recorded in that passbook to enable him to withdraw the $150,000?” he asked.

“Yes,” Mrs Rolle confirmed.

The case continues today.