Court dismisses theft claims

THE Lae District Court yesterday struck out a stealing charge against a former Lutheran Shipping employee for the theft of almost K100,000 from the company.
Senior District Court committal magistrate Posain Poloh threw out the charge and dismissed Nalu Yakam, 30, from Yambo village, Bukawa, Morobe province after police prosecutors failed to gather credible evidence to commit him to trial.
Mr Poloh also ordered that Yakam’s K300 bail be refunded.
According to court documents, Yakam was arrested and charged by the Madang police fraud squad on June 29, 2006, for stealing K95,203.49 belonging to the Lutheran Shipping head office in Madang through fraudulent means.
It was alleged that Yakam collaborated with an accomplice with the Ross Electrical Company in Lae and allegedly stole the money through 12 cheque deposits into the company’s BSP bank account number 38665307 in Lae between Oct 1, 2005, and June 20, 2006.
Yakam is alleged to have raised manual cheques and paid it into the company’s bank account in Lae for various electricity repair works at the Lutheran Shipping office in Madang.
It is alleged that the two cashed the cheques during this period and used it for their own benefit.
According to police, Yakam’s accomplice went into hiding at the time Yakam was arrested and charged.