Uni students charged

By ZACHERY PER
A GROUP of university students in Goroka are facing fraud-related charges linked to the payment of their fees when they enrolled at the beginning of the year.
University Acting Vice-Chancellor Donald Gumbis yesterday confirmed that 17 students had been charged by police.
He said 54 students in total were being investigated.
The first 17 were to have appeared before Magistrate Gerard Vetuawa yesterday but were told that he was sick. It is expected that he will be available today or tomorrow.
Parents, university students and town residents flocked to the Goroka courthouse yesterday.
The students have been charged with false pretence with intent to defraud.
At the beginning of the year, all students were advised by the university to pay their fees to Bank of South Pacific in either Goroka, Lae, Mt Hagen or Wabag, and to bring the deposit slips when they enrolled.
The matter was reported by the university management to the Goroka police in July after discrepancies were discovered of the amounts deposited and what appeared on the slips presented to the university bursary.
According to a reconciliation by the university bursary, students at different dates had allegedly deposited their tuition fees at the BSP branches in Goroka, Lae,
Mt Hagen and Wabag branches a total of K264,908.
On June 13, Vice-Chancellor Professor Musawe Sinabare wrote to the police officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division Michael Sewode to say the university had compiled all the documents related to the matter including detailed information on the students.