Two women sent for trial on fraud charges in relation to Polish Saturday Schools in Coleraine and Ballymena grant-funded by Migrant Centre NI, Craigavon court hears
Two women have been sent for trial on charges of fraud in relation to two Polish schools in Coleraine and Ballymena which were grant-funded by the Migrant Centre NI in Lurgan.
Agnieszka Zajac, aged 46, from Glenkeen, Randalstown, appeared via video link before Craigavon Magistrates Court for the Preliminary Enquiry as she is no longer living in Northern Ireland.
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Zajac faces a charge of fraud by abuse of position, 11 counts of fraud by false representation, two counts of false accounting and a charge of making or supplying articles for use in fraud involving sums of 19,458.34 Polish Zloty. These charges date from May 5, 2021 and December 8, 2021.
Her co-accused, Justyna Jakubik, aged 40, from Weirside, Randalstown, attended court to face a single charge of fraud by false representation. She is accused of presenting two invoices for payment between December 8 and 15, 2021 claiming that she had provided teaching services and paid for these sessions from funding provided by the Polish Saturday School Ballymena and the Polish Saturday School Coleraine.
Both women, when asked via a Polish interpreter, said they didn’t object to the holding of a Preliminary Enquiry and a prosecutor told the court she believed there was a prima facie case to answer. There were no contrary submissions from either of the defendants’ counsel.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said there is a prima facie case.
Both women were sent for trial to Craigavon Crown Court with arraignment on October 25 and pre-arraignment on October 4. Both women were put on £500 court bail which Zajac must sign for when she is next in this jurisdiction.