by Ian Elliot
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 19/97) - Seventeen suspects charged in a fraud that police say involved more than $10 million in stolen long-distance phone calls will not get their day in court.

In a surprise move Wednesday, charges were stayed against all but five of the Yellowknife and Inuvik residents rounded up in a massive Mountie raid in January that resulted in numerous theft of telecommunications charges being laid.

This means the cases will almost certainly not go to trial, effectively letting the 17 off the hook.

Yellowknife RCMP Staff Sgt. Dave Grundy said a decision was made to proceed only with cases against five who allegedly rang up the largest of the telephone bills and who may have been using a flaw in NorthwestTel's computerized switching equipment for commercial rather than personal use.

"It was not in the public interest to pursue (the other 17 cases)," he said. "The five are the biggest offenders, or top players."

The fraud was discovered by telephone company technicians in early January and stemmed from a glitch in the company's equipment. People who ordered the long-distance blocking feature on their home lines were able to bypass NorthwesTel's automatic billing system.

An investigation launched after the problem was discovered by NorthwesTel technicians tracked calls to places such as Hong Kong, London and Africa.

On Jan. 23, a dozen homes in Yellowknife were raided at 8 a.m., and five days later, 10 more raids were carried out in Inuvik.

Immigration Canada also launched an investigation shortly after the arrest after RCMP investigators removed passports, passport-sized photographs, immigration papers and a laminating machine during their raids.

Randy Gurlock of Immigration Canada said yesterday that his department's investigation is continuing. No immigration-related charges have been laid, he added.

Fraud cases will proceed against Yellowknife residents Mohamud Hagi-Salim Hassan, Aydarus Abdi Warsame, Ismail Elay Sabriye and Hussen Mahamoud Alasow and Inuvik resident Abdikarim Abdulle Yalahow.

Court cases were stayed against Yellowknife residents Abdullahi Ali Ahmed, Mohamud Mohamed Jama, Abukar Sheikh Hassan, Artan Rooble Maalin, Abdiasis Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed, Abdullahi Mohamed Abdi, Abdullahi Yusuf Omar and Ahmed Hagi Yusuf.

In Inuvik, charges were stayed against Mansoora Saad Mokhtar-Abo-Amood, Ahmad Tamin, Tayssir Mohamed El-Khatib, Mohamed El Blovla Mohamed, Mohamed Ali Alkhatib, Riad Hassan Abouchami, El Eibad Agabna El Eman, Wael Ali Mohamed Ahmed Rafat and Talal Mohamed Khatib.