Former bank employee to face trial

A FORMER Bank South Pacific Financial Group Limited employee has been committed to stand trial in the National Court next year for allegedly conspiring to steal about K144,679 from four customers’ accounts.
Francis Ampalavio, 40, from Pomio in East New Britain was charged with four counts of unlawful disclosure and four counts of conspiracy to defraud.
Committal Court Magistrate Danny Wakikura handed down the ruling on Tuesday.
Wakikura told the accused his case would be listed with the National Court for Jan 22 after he had chosen to remain silent and not give a statement in court (Section 96 statement).
Police alleged that while Ampalavio was employed with BSP as a lending officer at the bank’s Harbour City branch, he had logged into the bank’s system and looked up customer information.
It is further alleged that he disclosed confidential information belonging to four customers to a co-conspirator who duplicated their bank cards using a skimming device and made withdrawals of various amounts at different automated telling machines (ATMs).
Magistrate Wakikura said that the matter had first come to court in May this year. The case had returned to court last Monday for hearing of submissions but Ampalavio had not filed any.