Submission on hold

SUBMISSION on a penalty against a woman who had admitted obtaining money by false pretence is on hold after a police prosecutor sought legal advice on whether the summary offences court had the power to order restitution.
Police prosecutor Snr constable Mol Siboa on Friday asked Magistrate Mathew Maitang in the Boroko District Court for an adjournment in the case of Thelma Wararu, 35, from Karkar village, Sumkar in Madang.
She admitted obtaining K2,000 from a woman but failed to repay it.
Magistrate Maitang adjourned the case to Wednesday and extended Wararu’s bail.
Siboa told the court that the only loser in the case would be the complainant, who only wanted her money repaid.
On July 1 2015, Wararu obtained K2,000 from Lucy Naka at 8-Mile in Port Moresby, promising her that she would repay it.
Wararu told the court that she had repaid the woman some of the money.
Snr Const Siboa said: “Initially, there was an agreement. In the agreement there was a commitment in the part of the defendant, which she had failed in and this constituted the offence.”