Lawyer fails to front up in court

 By LAZARUS BIRA

AN Australian man’s fraud case involving more than K3 million has been adjourned because he failed to appear in the Waigani Committal Court yesterday.

Police prosecutor Sandra Holland told Magistrate John Kaumi that Steven O’Brien, 47, who was on a K5,000 bail, was not present for his first mention.

Kaumi adjourned the case to Wednesday next week following Holland’s application for an adjournment.

O’Brien, the principal lawyer of O’Brien Lawyers based in Port Moresby, was charged with conspiracy to defraud, misappropriation and stealing the money in Port Moresby between Aug 24, 2004 and Nov 15, 2015. 

The police charge indicated that O’Brien allegedly pretended to the Investment Promotion Authority that Ian John Proctor (co-accused) was the director of Pioneer Health Services Ltd, when he was not.

O’Brien and accomplices allegedly conspired to change the company records at the IPA office by removing Captain Fredrick Arthur Martens (complainant), who is the legal director and shareholder, with intent to defraud. 

O’Brien allegedly misappropriated K3,126,830 from the Finance Department bankable cheques in different instalments that came into O’Brien law firm, property of the company.

He allegedly stole from the department bankable cheques totalling K3.1m, the property of the company.