Unit set up to deal with fraud

By HELEN TARAWA
PUBLIC prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin told the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Union Bank of Switzerland loan deal that a unit has been established specialising in prosecuting fraud and corruption cases which had an element of deceit.
The unit called the Serious Corruption and Dishonesty Unit within the office of the public prosecutor would be responsible for any prosecutions referred from the COI.
“I have spoken with my deputies and also the head of the unit and that unit will be in charge of any prosecutions that are referred from the COI with the assistance of two of my very senior officers of the other two units that had been established,” Kaluwin said.
“From that unit I have Helen Roalakona and Therese Aihi who will be supported by another two of the heads of units David Kuvi and Mercy Tamate.
“All of them are senior state prosecutors. All the referrals from the COI would be made to the Public Prosecutor,” he said.
Kaluwin said the COI Act did not specify the court.
“Going by the jurisdiction of the courts where matters of K30,000 and that is with regards to civil limits of K10,000 are dealt by the District Court and beyond are by the National Court.
“There is nothing preventing information for offences to be heard in the National Court because the COI Act does not specify,” he said.
Kaluwin said to give effect to the purpose of a COI information had to be filed within six months of the referral.
“Most of the offences under the COI Act in my view are not that difficult to prove it shouldn’t take long for them to be proceeded,” he said.
“Filing of information can take two weeks after receiving the referral from there on the courts take over.”
COI chairman Sir Salamo Injia told the inquiry that the commission would set up an arrangement within the office to liaise with the Public Prosecutors’ office to
get regular reports of prosecutions.