Treasurer faces fraud charges

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday March 12th, 2014

 A FEMALE district treasurer faces 42 fraud-related charges involving K4.4 million of project funds for Wabag, in Enga.

Esther Era, 52, from Teremanda, in Wabag, is detained at the Boroko Police Station awaiting her appearance at the Waigani Committal Court. 

Her arrest followed investigations by the National Fraud Squad on the K4.4 million allocated to the Wabag District Treasury as the district services improvement programme fund.

Era has been the district treasurer for 15 years.

A fraud squad officer said Era was charged with 21 counts of obtaining money by false pretences and 21 counts of misappropriation. 

The offences were allegedly committed between April and June in 2012.

The officer said some other people implicated in the same case would be arrested and charged soon.

“We will get to the bottom of this and more arrests will be made,” the officer said.