The Tax Administration Department is getting tough on employees suspected of involvement in fraud.

Since the start of the year, 11 employees of the department have been arrested and charged in connection with fraudulent acts.

The employees were from the Inland Revenue Department, Customs and the Stamp Duty and Transfer Tax Division.

They are facing charges of falsification of account; conspiracy to deceive; breach of the corruption prevention act and cheating the public revenue.

Five charged

In a recent case, five employees of the Inland Revenue Department were charged with conspiracy to defraud.

Andrew Davis, Latoya Scarlett-Samuels, Janice Henry, Marie Young and Tamara Walsh were arrested and charged following investigations into motor vehicle licensing fee irregularities.

It is alleged that, in separate incidents between January 2006 and December 2007, the five used their positions as cashiers to manipulate motor vehicle licence fee transactions in order to defraud the department.

They are scheduled to appear in the Half-Way Tree Resident Magistrate's Court on January 16, 2009.

In another matter, Patrick Blake, a former employee of the Inland Revenue Department, was fired in September after he was found guilty of cheating the public revenue and conspiracy to defraud.

Other cases

Cases against other employees Amin Goss, Vivette Neil and Marlene Simpson, of the Inland Revenue Department; André Williams, of the Customs Department and Kenroy Morgan of the Taxpayer Audit and Assessment Department's Stamp Duty and Transfer Tax Division, are at various stages.

With clear indications that people have been able to purchase driver's licences, certificates of fitness and other documents without going through correct procedure, the Tax Administration Department has vowed to take a zero-tolerance approach against its employees involved in corruption.