Police officer faces court for alleged fraud

A police officer appeared before the Waigani District Court on fraud charges involving about  K111,000 of State money.
He allegedly claimed outstanding allowances falsely and without the police commissioner’s approval.
Chief Sergeant Patrick Billy, 49 and from Tapou village in the Usino-Bundi electorate in Madang, appeared before senior Magistrate John Kaumi on Tuesday charged with official corruption and conspiracy to defraud.
He is out on a K500 bail and is to  appear before the same court on Sept 29.
Billy was attached to the human development and training division based at the headquarters in Konedobu, Port Moresby. He was accused of requesting payroll officers to calculate his heavy duty allowances of K111,352.45 in 2010.
The claim did not go before the deputy police commissioner administration and the police commissioner.
Billy allegedly claimed heavy duty allowances for being the acting Chief Sergeant between July 2, 1999 and Dec 31, 2010.
He was a sergeant then.
He also took a consent court order in 2011 to order the State to pay him his outstanding allowances.
However, there was no certificate of judgment obtained from the court to confirm the court’s decision for the State to pay him out. Also there was no instruction from the police commissioner to enter into this consent order.
This prompted the police management to investigate Billy and he was arrested and charged last Monday.