Woman Appears In Court For Public Assistance Cheque Scam
A woman charged by the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB), with fraud and money laundering in a public assistance cheque scam, has been granted bail in the sum of $75,000 by a Master of the High Court.
According to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), Elizabeth Christine Lochan was charged with the offences when she appeared in Court before Master Indira Chinebas, on Monday (6th October, 2025).
As a condition of her bail, the accused must report to the Santa Cruz Police Station once a week, between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
The next hearing has been scheduled for 3rd March, 2026.
Following a report in March 2024, from the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services, an investigation was launched which revealed that in December 2022, a woman allegedly presented a fraudulent MSDFS Public Assistance Cheque for the sum of $2,300, for encashment at a Port-of-Spain supermarket in exchange for goods.
The cheque was later discovered to be fraudulent upon subsequent deposit at the Central Bank.
Investigations were co-ordinated by DCP ‘Intelligence and Investigations,’ Natasha George, and ACP ‘White Collar Crime,’ Denis Knutt, spearheaded by Snr. Supt. Avinash Singh, W/Supt. Theodore-Persad, supervised by Insp. Deodath Seepersad, executed by Insp. Fabien Mohammed, Sgt. Orthello, Cpl. Pit, W/Cpl. Pierre, WPC Philip and included other dedicated Officers of the ACIB.
Lochan was charged on 1st October, 2025, by PC Dillon Modeste of the ACIB, under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The TTPS said it “remains committed to protecting citizens and businesses from financial crimes and we will continue to aggressively pursue offenders who attempt to exploit public systems and vulnerable individuals through fraud and deception. The public and businesses are urged to exercise extreme caution and employ rigorous verification procedures when dealing with cheques and other financial instruments to detect counterfeit documents.”
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