The first prosecution witness in the trial of Teketa Thompkins — accused of a $1.4 million fraud against Government — heard alleged co-conspirator Harrison Isaac Jr had access to a Government bank account.

Isaac, a Management Accountant at the Accountant General’s Department, was put in charge of the account with the Bank of New York, said that company’s vice-president Jean-Pierre St. Victor.

It is this account that Isaac is said to have looted, with Thompkins conspiring with him in doing so and laundering the stolen money. She denies this.

Mr. St. Victor, who is based in Wall Street and has responsibility for Bermuda and the Caribbean, described how Isaac was the nominated security administrator. A number of access cards were sent to him for others to use, plus a card that allowed him to enter transactions on account.

The bank boss listed a series of transfers in the name of a person named Smith to Bank of America accounts for companies called All Brand New and Simply Perfection — said by the prosecution to be controlled by Thompkins. These spanned a period from August 2003 to February 2004.

Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Goldin read the jury a statement agreed in advance by both prosecution and defence, relating to Lisa Smith. Now the Assistant Director of Tourism in Bermuda, Ms Smith worked as a Management Accountant in the Accountant General’s Department until summer 2003. Mr. Goldin said she did not recall ever receiving an access card for the Bank of New York account or doing any transactions.

Under cross-examination from defence lawyer Paul Madden, Mr. St. Victor agreed the bank did not realise there had been anything unlawful going on from May 2003 until it received a phone call in April 2004.

He said at this point he talked to the Accountant General and referred the matter to the bank’s corporate security section.