Lawyer says K1mil deposit was a mistake

A LAWYER representing a former senior public servant told a court that K1 million was deposited into his client’s bank account by mistake.
Lawyer Oala Vele was representing Vani Vaieke Vare, a former deputy director Corporate Services (Finance and Administration) of the National Capital District Provincial Health Authority who was charged with conspiracy to defraud, abuse of office and misappropriation.
Vare, 39, is from Gabi village in Port Moresby’s North West.
Vele submitted to Committal Court Magistrate Paul Puri Nii yesterday that Vare did not conspire with the financial and human resource manager regarding the deposit of K1 million into his account as he had already resigned from his job when the money was deposited.
But police prosecutor Sgt Peter Samghy argued that the charge of abuse of office had met all the elements of the offence.
“For the charge of conspiracy to defraud, police have evidence to sustain the charge as all the elements of the offence was established through text messages as attached as annex in exhibits,” he said.
“For the charge of misappropriation, he had used some of the K1 million that was deposited in his bank account.”
Vele argued that Vare had already resigned from his job when the K1 million was deposited into his bank account. So the charges of misappropriation and abuse of office were irrelevant.
“Police did not establish the elements of the offences well with their evidence,” he said.
Magistrate Nii asked Vele if Vare knew of the K1 million deposited into his account.
Vele explained that when the K1 million was deposited, Vare used K77,000 as payment for overtime that he was entitled to. The balance was paid back to the State by the bank.
“The remaining money was reimbursed to the state when the finance department notified the bank that the payment of K1 million had been deposited into Vare’s account by mistake,” he said.
Nii said he would hand down a ruling on June 5. Police alleged that last June 27, Vare paid himself through the Alesco Government payroll system a sum of K1,553,636.74 made payable to his salary account at Bank South Pacific Financial Group Limited.