Former employees charged with stealing money

TWO former Air Niugini staff members have been charged with stealing K17,390 from their employer between Dec last year and May 30 at Jackson Airport.
Magistrate Cosmas Bidar read the charge to Delmarine Angeli, 36, from Dreikikir, Ambunti-Dreikikir, East Sepik and Rosemary Batari, 28, from Pendeng village, Tewai-Siassi in Morobe, on Friday at the Waigani Committal Court.
The two were cashiers with Air Niugini (ANG), where they were alleged to have taken money generated from ANG’s sales and applied it for own use.
The two allegedly committed the offences on separate occasions but in their record of interview stated that it was a norm for cashiers working with ANG to take money without notifying the company.
Police alleged that between Nov and Dec last year, Batari took K7,900 from the cash registry intended for safekeeping in the company’s drawer which would have been banked later on in ANG’s account.
Police further alleged that on May 30, Angeli siphoned K17,880.83 from ANG’s sales of electronic tickets, including excessive baggage and firearm charges collected at the Jackson domestic terminal and used K9,490 from that money.
Angeli when interviewed said that she would repay in increments during her fortnight (discreetly) but stopped repaying when the sum taken was too large to repay.
Angeli also stated that all other cashiers were doing the same and that she couldn’t control them anymore since it was becoming a norm.
These anomalies were detected by ANG’s internal audit team who reported the matter to police at Gordon.
The two were then arrested and charged with stealing.
Both appeared on a K500 bail each, the case was adjourned to Jan 28.