Lack of evidence lets man free

A-27-year-old man accused of presenting fake invoices to defraud the Zion Zeal Christian School had his case struck out for want of evidence.
Peter Vali, from Kamila village in Rigo, Central, appeared before Magistrate Ernest Wilmot at the Waigani Committal Court. On May 17 last year, it was alleged that Vali was contacted by the Zion Zeal School to repair a Fuji Xerox printer which they had purchased from Fuji Xerox in 2017.
Vali was alleged to have been working with the Fuji Xerox, Remington Group at Boroko, as a technician to maintain machines.
Vali produced two invoices for maintenance of a Fuji Xerox printing machine amounting to K400 each (K800) for two faulty machine parts which the school paid. After a week, the school’s printer had stopped working so Vali was contacted again for maintenance.
Vali told them that the printer had stopped working because of a cracked drum so he would come for repair service which he never did.
The school’s management then contacted the Fuji Xerox office in Boroko to enquire about the invoices received from Vali.
They (Fuji Xerox) claimed that they never produced any invoice for service repair and stated that such maintenance would cost about K1, 644 and not K800
Vali was arrested by police and charged with one count of false pretence.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Christian Iga told the court that evidence was not gathered within the three months period to commit Vali of the offence.