Tiensten guilty of abusing K3.4m

 JAILED Pomio MP Paul Tiensten has been found guilty of three  counts of misappropriation of public funds.

The charges relate to the misuse of K3.4 million allocated for the rehabilitation of the Karlai Plantation in Pomio district, East New Britain.

Tiensten was in Kokopo yesterday for the verdict when the National Court found him guilty of one count of official corruption, one count of obtaining goods by false pretence and one count of misappropriation.

Lawyers have now until April to work on submissions on Tiensten’s sentence.

The court heard that Tiensten, while holding public office as the then Minister for National Planning and Monitoring in 2009, corruptly conferred to Tol Port Services Ltd a sum of K3.4 million earmarked for the rehabilitation of Karlai Plantation in East Pomio.

Cheque number 38249 dated March 22, 2009, was originally drawn to Mesu Investments for the rehabilitation but was directed to Tol Port Services.

The court heard that between November 16 and 23, Tiensten falsely pretended that  Tol Services was the newly nominated project manager for the plantation rehabilitation programme.

The court heard that between November 16-30, Tiensten applied  for K3.4 million and directed the cheque to Tol Port Services, the company in which he directs and holds shares. 

It was alleged that in June 2008,   the accused received a proposal of K3.4 million from Mesu Investment for rehabilitating the plantation. The accused allegedly lodged the proposal with the department and the funding was approved.

But eight months later, Tiensten redirected the money to Tol Services through a memo to then secretary Joseph Lelang recommending payment to Tol Services.