Credit union officer charged with forgery

The Co-operatives Department said all along that irregularities at Corozal’s St. Francis Xavier Credit Union would result in criminal charges…and this week that prediction came true. Rafael Dominguez, a field officer with the credit union, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with forgery and claiming of a document. The charges follow an investigation by the government’s Department of Co-operatives. That investigation revealed that Dominguez applied and was approved for a seven thousand, five hundred dollar loan he took out in the name of his sister. She was in a coma at the time and died the next day, although Dominguez had already signed for and received the cash. The Co-operatives Department also sought to have charges filed against credit union manager Vicente Canul, but the Director of Public Prosecutions determined that there was insufficient evidence. In April Canul had been ordered dismissed from his post by the Co-operatives Department, but following a massive demonstration by credit union members, Canul was reinstated by the board of directors.