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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Oct 27 2015, CMC – The former speaker of the Antigua and Barbuda parliament D Gisele Isaac will return to court on February 17 next year on fraud related charges.
Isaac, the former executive secretary of the Board of Education, is charged with fraudulent conversion of EC$9,000, corruption, conspiracy with intent to defraud in relation to EC$13,983.97 and fraudulent conversion.
She appeared in court on Monday alongside radio personality Algernon “Serpent” Watts, who has been charged with conspiracy with intent to defraud the Board of Education of almost EC$14,000 and a failure to pay Education Levy.
The case was adjourned after the prosecution said it was not yet ready to proceed.
Isaac served as speaker of parliament from 2004 until the United Progressive Party (UPP) was swept out of office last year.
Isaac and Watts have been charged in relation to suspected fraud at the Board of Education, where Isaac worked for 13 years, and where Watts was contracted as a debt collector.
Isaac, who is the current UPP Chairman said the case against her is political even though the accusation has been denied by the Gaston Browne administration.
Education Minister Michael Browne said a probe he initiated in August 2014 and carried out by McCaw Financial Consulting, revealed several irregularities, including that Isaac approved several salary increases for herself and presided over several missing cheques, while Watts was allegedly paid a higher than normal rate as debt collector or bailiff.
