Fraud charges laid in Fort McPherson hamlet finance investigation

A former director of finance for the hamlet of Fort McPherson, N.W.T., has been charged with fraud after a two-year-long RCMP investigation.

Ina Koe, 44, has been charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of breach of trust by a public officer.

RCMP began investigating financial irregularities in the hamlet's finances in March 2013, following a forensic audit. It had been alleged that Koe had misappropriated more than $400,000 in hamlet funds for personal use and in so doing abused her position of trust.

Police say Koe was located in Whitehorse and has been summoned to appear in court in Fort McPherson on Sept. 23.

The Government of the Northwest Territories took governing powers away from Fort McPherson's hamlet council and put it under administrative management last July after the hamlet racked up a $2 million deficit.