Maludu faces fraud charges

By JACOB POK
DEPARTMENT of Health deputy secretary Mark Maludu faces five charges related to misappropriation of funds.
The charges relate to his position as chief executive officer of Kimbe General Hospital.
Maludu is alleged to have used his position to allegedly facilitate overtime and other allowances in excess of what he was entitled to.
Maludu is the first to be charged in the investigations into the Department of Health by the Task Force Sweep as authorised by the National Executive Council.
The investigation team said more arrests of officers in the department would follow.
The court had issued a warrant of arrest for him.
He was questioned at the Fraud Squad Office, charged and later taken to the Boroko police station.
He was charged with two counts of misappropriation and two counts of stealing by false pretence, and one count of official corruption.
He is on K1,000 police bail.
Task force Sweep chairman Sam Koim said the criminal process in court had begun and as a matter of law, Maludu was innocent
until proven otherwise by a court of law.