The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THREE Romamians denied any involvement in the recent hacking of bank automated machines when arraigned in Magistrates Court yesterday.

Dumitri Gabureac, 32, Adrian Lupu, 33, and Paul Florin, 31, stood before Magistrate Andrew Forbes facing three counts of “unauthorised interception of computer service” in contravention of the Computer Misuses Act, Chapter 107.

However, before the arraignment could begin, Gabureac explained to the magistrate that he had no idea where the allegations came from. He claimed to have been living in the Bahamas, with his fiancee, for a year and was in possession of a residency permit.

Though unemployed, he said he has a business that he operated abroad.

The other accused said they had no connection to Gabureac, having been in the Bahamas for two weeks before they were arrested.

The law states that anyone who commits an offence under section 6 (1)(b) and 9(2)(c) of the Computer Misuses Act, “shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to both.”

The three Romanians are alleged to have hacked two Royal Bank of Canada ATM machines three times on September 6 with intent to commit an offence.

Lupu and Florin were further charged with causing $4,000 worth of damage to the machines they reportedly hacked on the same day.

Gabureac, who resides in Tropical Gardens according to court dockets, was further charged with abetting the unauthorised interception of the ATM services on September 6.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all of the charges mentioned.

However, police prosecutor Cpl Claudia McKenzie referred the magistrate to other charges concerning Gabureac stemming from an alleged incident in July - unauthorised use of computer services, stealing and three counts of abetment to unauthorised use of computer services.

It is alleged that Gabureac, on July 10, hacked an ATM machine of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank and stole $2,600 belonging to Lawrence Daxon.

It is also claimed that he abetted the hacking of CIBC-FCIB maches for three subsequent days after Independence Day.

Gabureac denied these offences as well and said that he had a lawyer, Murrio Ducille, whom he had not been allowed to contact.

Lupu and Florin that they also said they were represented by Mr Ducille and had not been allowed to contact him or relatives when they were detained at the Cable Beach police station. Both maintained that they had no affiliation with Gabureac.

Magistrate Forbes said he would inquire into their claims of not being allowed access to their attorney before remanding them to Her Majesty’s Prison until their trial date of November 4.