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Former BTC employees will face forgery, fraud charges in 2010 By ARTESIA DAVIS ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ artesia@nasguard.com: Three former employees of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company accused of a $700,000 phone card scam will be tried in the Supreme Court next year. Justice Jon Isaacs set a July 2010 trial date for Pakell Williams, 24, of Crab Apple St., Elroy Brice, 28, of Rose St., and Thomas Julian Mackey, 34, of Faith Ave., following their arraignment on charges of forgery, uttering forged documents and fraud by false pretenses. It is alleged that the three accused forged the signatures of Thomas Ferguson and Hilton Bullard on requisition forms for the creation of serial numbers for prepaid phone cards. Magistrate Guillimina Archer had previously discharged the accused on the grounds that the charges were brought outside of the six-month statute of limitations. But prosecutors brought the case back and issued a voluntary bill of indictment. The arraignment in the Supreme Court was delayed because of an objection by defense lawyer Murrio Ducille that the arraignment was an abuse of process. Bernard Turner, the director of public prosecutions, told Justice Isaacs that the magistrate did not have the jurisdiction to hear the matter as a summary trial because a 'fiat' directing her to begin a preliminary was presented at the arraignment. Justice Isaacs agreed. "At the moment she was apprised of the fiat, there was no discretion in the magistrate to do anything but to embark upon a preliminary inquiry." Attorney Elliot Lockhart represents Elroy Brice, Ducille represents Mackey and Bradley Cooper represents Williams. Monday, July 6, 2009