MORE than £250,000 was taken from government agencies, through a well-organised social security fraud, a Belfast court was told yesterday.
The statement was made by a" prosecution lawyer objecting to, bail for Ms Sonya Templeton (32), of Lille Park, Finaghy, Belfast, who was alleged by a detective to be one of the "major players" in the fraud.
Ms Templeton, a mother of, two, faced seven charges of falsely obtaining £51,000 in benefits from the Department of Health and Social Security and the Housing Executive.
A detective sergeant told the magistrates' court that the original investigation involved six people who were using multiple identities of persons who had died or emigrated.
He said that a further 19 names had been added to the list, following the seizure of more than 1,000 documents, including false passports. A false passport was found in Ms Templeton's home, he said, and it was feared that if she got bail she would abscond.
Mr Martin O'Rourke, defending, said the Crown's insistence on Ms Templeton's lodging bail money in court was unrealistic as an order had already been made freezing her bank accounts.
The resident magistrate, Mr Reg Perry, remanded Ms Templeton until March 21st on her own bail of £10,000, with a cash surety of £5,000, and ordered her to report to the RUC twice weekly.
A co-accused, Ms Veronica Clarke (49), of Norfolk Drive, Belfast, faced four charges of falsely obtaining a total of £62,000.
A detective said Ms Clarke was considered to be on the periphery of the fraud. She was released on her own bail of £2,000, with a surety of £5,000, to appear in court again on April 10th.
The court was told that other people were due to appear on April 10th on similar charges.
