Bjorn Burke, Staff Reporter

A prominent Justice of the Peace and his brother have been hauled before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on fraud charges.

Charged with forgery, conspiracy to defraud and uttering forged documents are Justice of the Peace Robert Bacchus and his brother, Mark.

Allegations are that on November 20, 2013, Bacchus Engineering Works Limited, operated by the accused men, submitted their application to the National Contracts Commission (NCC) to be registered as a public sector contractor. In the application, Bacchus Engineering submitted resumes for its employees, previous projects worked on by the company, and the company's financial statements.

During a staff verification exercise conducted by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG), it was discovered that a particular person who was listed on Bacchus' application as a resident engineer, was not working with Bacchus at the time, but with another entity.

It is further alleged that the certification of the engineer's resume by another justice of the peace was done without his knowledge or consent. As a result, the matter was referred to the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA).

Investigations revealed that another man listed on the application was also not employed to the company. Subsequently, both accused were charged.

Their previously granted station bails of $120,000 each with surety were extended by Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey. They return to court on March 24.