The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A Crown witness yesterday confirmed that former Ministry of Finance accounts clerk James Anwar Johnson also went by his middle name, following extensive legal debate over the user name connected to a local business allegedly receiving thousands of dollars in unauthorised payments.

Director of Information Technology at the Ministry of Finance June Collie not only confirmed that she knew of an "Anwar Johnson" who worked at the ministry, she also identified the person currently on trial as the man to whom she was referring, and that he answered to that name on multiple occasions.

The revelation came a day after lead Crown attorney Terry Archer sought to exhibit certain documents containing Johnson's purported user tag 'FINANJO', which was allegedly used to facilitate certain unauthorised payments at the ministry.

Those documents, which were hard copies of certain files retrieved from the ministry's system by Ms Collie, contained the user name 'FINANJO'; the first three letters represent an abbreviation for finance, while the letter's 'AN' and 'JO' purportedly represent the first two letters of Anwar and Johnson.

According to Magistrate Ambrose Armbrister, after being approached by the police who requested certain information from her, Ms Collie conducted a query on the ministry's system and retrieved certain information, which she then uploaded into Microsoft Excel and ultimately produced in hard copy format.

However, the issue that the Crown previously faced, according to Magistrate Armbrister, was that while the user tag 'FINANJO' suggested a forename beginning with the letters 'AN', the charge sheet listed Johnson's first name as James, and not Anwar.

As a result, the magistrate questioned if sufficient evidence had been led to establish a strong enough connection between Johnson and the user name 'FINANJO', notwithstanding the issue of which first name he went by.

Thus, Magistrate Ambrose Armbrister had ordered that the Crown would have to establish a "nexus" between Johnson's former user name and the person currently on trial.

Yesterday, after much legal debate on the issue, Ms Collie first confirmed that based on the information provided in the user tag, as well as being familiar with the names of the various ministry employees, she knew of an "Anwar Johnson" who worked there.

When questioned, she said she was told by colleagues and other persons that the individual in question was "Anwar Johnson", but never actually walked up to him and introduced herself.

However, she said in making her rounds around the Cecil Wallace Whitfield building, she would see this "Anwar" now and again, and also heard that person respond to "Anwar" when others would call out his name to speak with him.

After a bit more prodding, she ultimately identified the "Anwar" she spoke of as Johnson seated in the court room.

Johnson is accused of defrauding the ministry of over half a million dollars within a five-month period.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial continues.