Woman who stole $167,000 from gov’t gets suspended sentence

A woman who stole  EC$167,646.87 from the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (GoSVG) has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years.

However, the prosecutor has noted that the woman, Fiziela Clarke, of London, Sandy Bay, has not gotten away with her crime.

Crown Counsel Devon Bute pointed out that with an indefinite confiscation order in effect against Clarke, the state can apply to seize any assets that she acquires up to the sum or value of EC$167,646.87.

Magistrate Kaywana Jacobs handed down the sentence at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, three months after Clarke pleaded guilty to multiple theft charges that were brought in 2022.

Clarke, a 35-year-old mother of two children, aged 8 and 9, pleaded guilty in December to theft charges amounting to EC$ 167,646.87.

When she was initially arraigned in 2022, Clarke was accused of stealing EC$220,000 from the government. She committed the offences between 2018 and 2019.

At her initial arraignment, the charges had dated back to 2016.

The facts of the case are that Clarke was a clerk at the Orange Hill Horticultural Station.

Her duties included collecting money for services provided to the public and paying it into the government’s account.

An audit found that Clarke was changing the figures to show that she had collected less money than she did and was keeping the difference for herself.

Mitigating on Clarke’s behalf, lawyer Israel Bruce pointed out that Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves had said that some men have chosen a life of crime because they have to mind pretty, “high-maintenance women”.

The lawyer told the court that some women support high-maintenance men, too, and suggested that this may have been the case with his client.

“We’re not treating this matter lightly, neither are we trivialising that many Vincentian parents are having a hard time sustaining themselves,” Bruce said.

He said Clarke was also having a “horrible time” sustaining herself and her children.

The lawyer, however, acknowledged that his client had been placed in a position of trust at her workplace and had breached that trust. 

Quoting local calypsonian Cornelius “Poorsah” Williams, Bruce asked, “Way the money gone?”

He said it was not in Clarke’s bank account, nor was it reflected in where she lives.

Bruce told the court that Clarke’s actions had affected her former workplace, the Ministry of Agriculture and the GoSVG.

He told the court that Clarke and her children have to live with the shame of her crime.

He said that a positive outcome was that it may have helped the accountant general to realise the deficiencies in the system.

Meanwhile, in applying for the confiscation order, Bute said that Clarke must not be allowed to benefit from her crime.

The prosecutor pointed out that Clarke should not think that she had gotten off, it is not the case as the order is indefinite until the money is recovered in cash or assets, no matter how long it takes.

He asked the magistrate to use her sentence to hold Clarke accountable, adding that it should reflect the breach of trust and confidence that was placed in Clarke.

The magistrate concluded by sentencing Clarke to 18 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years.