Several members of the accounts department at Knox Community College have been placed on administrative leave, as a full investigation is undertaken into suspected fraud at the institution.

The principal Dr. Davia Ramgeet issued a statement, explaining that certain irregularities involving the falsification of several cheques issued by the college, were discovered recently.

The statement explains that the discovery was prompted by a recent call from the bank, seeking to verify three cheques presented to them on the day.

The three cheques had numbers coinciding with ones issued by the college but were apparently altered to reflect greater amounts.

Knox Community College says subsequent internal checks revealed that other check items had been paid previously.

According to the statement, the matter has been reported to its board of management, the college’s auditors, the police, the education ministry, the United Church of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, as well as the banker’s fraud prevention unit.

The college says contingency measures have been implemented to ensure business continuity.