Two men tried to swindle £2 million sterling out of Belfast-based aircraft manufacturer Shorts as part of a transatlantic fraud operation, a court heard today.
Mr Dennis Ernest Clarke (43), and Mr William Spiers Black (47), allegedly submitted false payment claims for work carried out by subcontractors at the aerospace firm over a two-year period.
Mr Clarke, a self-employed man from Greenvale Park View, Antrim, was also charged with money laundering offences.
The men were arrested following an investigation by the PSNI's financial investigations unit. During the police inquiry, detectives seized documents from companies in London and at the headquarters of Shorts' parent company, Bombardier, in Montreal, Canada.
Between January 2000 and December 2002, the men put in false claims to Shorts for hours worked, it was claimed.
The invoices were allegedly submitted on behalf of MPI Aviation Ltd, of Hertford, Herts.
Neither Mr Clarke nor Mr Black, an unemployed man from Lissane Road, Saintfield, Co Down, spoke during the hearing at Belfast Magistrates' Court.
Both men were remanded on £5,000 bail to appear again in court on November 19th.