Former bank employee jailed

A FORMER Bank South Pacific (BSP) lending officer was jailed five and a half years for misappropriating K300,090 belonging to her employer in 2017.
Waigani Nation Court Justice Teresa Berrigan jailed Ruth Tomande, from East Sepik’s Ambunti, on Friday.
Tomande, through manipulating BSP’s lend fast money system used 14 different declined loan applications to generate fake loans totalling K300,090. She was terminated on Jan 29, 2018.
Justice Berrigan said what Tomande did was a serious breach of trust with the bank, and that the method in which she used to access the monies were highly professional.
Tomande, when asked why she committed the offence, said she was under financial pressure at that time as her late father was sick, and she needed money to pay his hospital fees. Tomande expressed remorse and apologised to the bank, and to the court.
Tomande’s family had asked the court to assist her to repay the money, through fortnightly instalments but Justice Berrigan said it would be irresponsible to burden the family. “As a mother of two, committing the offence was very irresponsible because your sentence will burden your children.”