Man arrested over K4.3mil

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
THE executive officer to the Madang MP Buka Malai has been arrested and detained for allegedly swindling K4.25 million from the National Planning office.
Detectives who are part of the Task Force Sweep team in Madang said Zebedee Jabri Kalup, from Siar village, had been charged with six counts of misappropriation and false pretence.
The charges stem from the misappropriation of K2.5m which was paid to his private business account, Zenalis Waterfalls Ltd.
It was revealed that the money was for the rehabilitation of the Sitepra Cocoa Estate, in the Kamba area of North Ambenob.
Block holders of Muruan Cocoa Produce and Marketing fronted up at the town police station last Friday to express their disappointment over the manner in which Kalup duped them on several occasions by telling them that the money had “yet to come”.
Kalup had received the money in March last year, a month before having a meeting with the selected block holders who went to his house in Siar.
Village recorder and spokesman for the group, Jack Murphy  said they had been conned into clearing bush and left forever waiting for the promised help and funding that “never eventuated”.
In addition, Kalup was charged with misusing K1 million funding, cheque dated March 2, 2011.
The money was paid into Zenalis for an unidentified agriculture project for the district.
And another final payment of K750,000 was paid to his company account two months later for Sea Freight Boat Building maintenance.
Inspections and site visits by the Sweep team uncovered many irregularities.
Zenalis is a company that does not have a properly established office but has business interests in Alotau, where one of his wives is from.
In a separate matter, Kalup is being investigated for the misuse of K700,000 which was supposed to be paid to the Madang District Treasury office for the rehabilitation of the Madang Cocoa and Coconut rehab project. The money was paid out in 2008 and 2009.
He is charged with misuse and obtaining money under false pretence in another separate matter for K500,000.00 from National Planning. That case is before the Waigani committal court.
Sweep team director, Anthony Gitua commended his men for a job well done.