Two cops from Kingston East Division appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday for breaches of the Anti-Corruption Act.

They are Corporal Ronald Burke of Elleston Road Police Station and Constable Lennox Riley of the Franklyn Town Police Station, who were charged on Wednesday following an incident, which occurred in New Kingston.

Police reports are that about 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 25, the policemen allegedly promised to provide two men with United States visas at a cost of JA$700,000. A meeting was then set up between the parties at a location in New Kingston.

While they were at the location, the policemen reportedly held up the men at gunpoint and robbed them of the JA$700,000. The two men were later taken to the Bull Bay area in St Andrew where they were dropped off.

A report was made to the police and a file prepared by the Anti Corruption Branch. The file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions who ruled that the policemen be arrested and charged for breaching the Anti Corruption Act.

However, when the officers appeared in court yesterday, the story was a bit different. Their lawyer told Resident Magistrate Glen Brown that on the day in question, his clients went to a New Kingston location where a pastor, said to be involved in a visa racket was searched and apprehended. He was also in the company of a church sister.

The lawyer continued that after his clients searched the pastor a parcel containing $300,000 was found on him. It is said that the pastor and church sister along with the parcel of money were taken to a police station in the division after which they were released.

The lawyer continued that the pastor then made a robbery report to the Bull Bay Police Station who then caught up with the two officers in question but found no money on them, as was reported by the pastor. Hence, the lawyer of the accused said he was 'surmising' that it was the church sister, said to be of a Fletcher's Land address who had made off with the cash.

On the other hand, the complainant's attorney said the pastor was not in court yesterday because of several death threats he has been receiving since news broke of the incidents. However, the lawyer said that his client's side of the story was that he (the pastor) was meeting with a church sister in New Kingston when the two officers showed up and took both him and the lady to a police station in the division before relieving him of the cash at gunpoint.

The lawyer said the two officers then dropped off his client in Bull Bay where he hurried to the Bull Bay Police Station and made a report. He said the police then caught up with the two men who told them that they did not have the money. The complainant's attorney said the two officers then signed a promissory document stating that they would repay the pastor nonetheless.

The charged officers are to reappear in the Half-Way Tree Resident Magistrate's Court today.