By Nico Scavella

THE trial of former National Insurance Board (NIB) employee Selena Sweeting over allegations of bribery and extortion was yeterday adjourned for 24 hours due to the lack of a stenographer.

Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt adjourned the matter after fielding submissions from Sweeting’s attorney Wayne Munroe, QC, that he and his legal team were not prepared to proceed without the presence of a stenographer.

Crown prosecutor Terry Archer said he was ready to proceed and presented to the chief magistrate the list of witnesses present for yesterday’s proceedings, chief of whom was the virtual complainant Marvin Shawn Rahming.

However, the chief magistrate, in endorsing Mr Munroe’s stance, said she was not minded to proceed with a virtual complainant without a stenographer present. She subsequently adjourned the matter to today at 11am.

Sweeting, a former manager at NIB, was initially arraigned in August on bribery and extortion charges.

It is alleged Sweeting, between January 27, 2017 and July 14, 2017, in respect of her duties as a public servant, demanded and solicited $5,000 from Marvin Shawn Rahming for assisting him in receiving business from NIB.

At the time, Sweeting elected to be tried in the Magistrates Court and pleaded not guilty to both allegations.

She was granted $8,000 bail by Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hilton hours after she was initially arraigned.

She is required to sign in at the Elizabeth Estates Police Station once a month as a condition of her bail.