Court grants fraud suspects bail

The National National

By SCHOLAR KASSAS
A COURT has dismissed a police application to revoke bail for three Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) employees who were charged with conspiracy to defraud and false pretence earlier this month.
Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Paul Puri Nii said last Tuesday that the application was defective.
“The revocation of bail should have bail conditions and for this matter there was no existing bail conditions,” he said.
Magistrate Nii then set bail conditions for Graham Eluida, 54, Michael Wasime, 64, and Backsy Poka, 44, to not interfere with state witness, not leave the National Capital District without permission from the court, attend court all times and reside at their homes.
Police prosecutor Snr Sgt Chris Iga told the court that as it was a fraud case most evidence would be documentary.
He asked the court to add a further bail condition which was that the accused individuals not tamper with evidence on their computers or use their offices as they were still employed with the organisation.
Magistrate Nii said while the three men were officially still employees of the state he barred them from entering their office premises for a week while police work to retrieve documents and evidence.
“Defendants are allowed to resume employment on May 24,” he said.
He then adjourned the matter to June 8 for mention and extended the trio’s bail.
Police alleged that on Oct 19, 2021, Eluida while working for DAL as a finance and administration officer in the accounts section allegedly conspired with Wasime and Poka to facilitate an unauthorised transaction that saw K81,432.52 belonging to the department dispersed to accounts of several employees of PNG Spice Industry Board (PNGSIB).
This was done without approval of the board’s chief executive officer Dr Nelson Simbiken or DAL secretary Stephen Mombi; neither man had signed the cheque.
The money was withdrawn from a Bank South Pacific cheque (No.140450).
Wasime, a former chief executive of the PNGSIB board, was not employed at the time.
Wasime and Eluida acted as the signatories to the account and obtained the money which was later distributed to several employees of PNGSIB for outstanding payments.