The Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Michael Troupe, and a PNP Youth Organization Constituency Chairman are the subject of a Police investigation into an attempt to obtain a United States visa by fraudulent means.
The Deputy Mayor told Nationwide News this afternoon that the US embassy in Kingston and the Police are investigating the circumstances in which a member of the governing party’s powerful National Executive Council, NEC, used a fraudulent letter bearing his name and signature, in an attempt to obtain a visa.
Mr. Troupe, is the Councilor for the Granville Division of the St. James parish council.
The NEC member who presented the letter to the embassy is the PNPYO Chairman for West Central St. James, Chevan Maxwell.
Granville is located in West Central St. James.
Nationwide News understands that the US embassy this week reported to the St. James Parish Council that Maxwell submitted a letter of recommendation, purportedly written by the western city’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Michael Troupe, as he sought to obtain a US visa.
The letter, stated that Maxwell is an employee of the St. James Parish Council.
Our sources say when the US embassy contacted the parish council, it was revealed that Maxwell was not an employee of the local authority.
Deputy Mayor Troupe is this afternoon denying that he signed the letter.
Contacted this afternoon the PNPYO constituency Chairman said he could not speak to the matter. He then abruptly terminated the call.
We called back Mr. Maxwell. He then told us that the Montego Bay Deputy Mayor did not give him a letter.
But the PNPYO constituency chairman declined to say how he came in possession of the letter he presented to the US embassy bearing Michael Troupe’s name and signature.
Our sources say the secretary manager of the St. James Parish Council, Gerald Lee, was asked by US embassy officials whether the PNPYO constituency chairman was an employee of the parish council as the letter bearing the name of Montego Bay’s Deputy Mayor stated.
Mr. Lee told our news center he’s brought the matter to the attention of the Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the St. James Parish Council, Glendon Harris.
But when our news center contacted Mayor Harris, he was evasive.
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