Senior Tax Collector Sentenced to Imprisonment

Mr. Denford Edwards, Senior Tax Collector, Tax Administration Jamaica, who was arrested and charged by the Revenue Protection Division (RPD),  was sentenced to nine (9) months imprisonment, having been found guilty of Obtaining Money by Means of False Pretences in the Halfway Tree Resident Magistrate’s Court, Criminal Division earlier this week.

Mr. Edwards collected a sum of money from a taxpayer on the premise that he was in a position to remove a three (3) year restriction off the title of a 2005 BMW X5 knowing that he had no such authority to do so.  He was subsequently arrested and charged in January 2014 by an Officer of The Jamaica Constabulary Force who is attached to the RPD.

The Resident Magistrate in handing down the sentence commented that persons in the Government service must be held to a high standard as they have the trust of the people of the country and that the Defendant had brought the system into disrepute.

The Commissioner of Revenue Protection, Major (Ret’d) Johanna Lewin JP, stated that this result has strengthened her confidence in the Justice system and the judiciary’s appreciation of the need to make strong statements when it comes to protecting the Revenue and preserving the integrity of the tax administrations, which areas are critical to our economic stability.