Wobiro’s fraud case set for trial

 THE case involving Western Governor Ati Wobiro and two others facing fraud-related charges involving K7.9 million has been set for trial before the National Court in Daru on March 7.

Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika made the ruling on Monday after Wobiro and the provincial administrator Dr Modowa Gumoi appeared for mention in Waigani.

Third defendant Norman Carl May was unable to travel from Daru, according to their lawyer Justin Wohuinangu of Posman Kua Aisi Lawyers.

The three are each charged with four counts of misappropriation and four counts of conspiracy to defraud. 

Wobiro and Gumoi face an additional charge of abuse of office.

They allegedly conspired to establish the Fly Care Foundation Inc using K7,900,060 belonging to the Fly River government between Nov 10 and Dec 15, 2013. 

In August last year, Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Cosmas Bidar said the court found that there was sufficient evidence to commit the trio to trial.

Bidar said that projects costing more than K5 million should have been tendered pursuant to the Public Finances Management Act. 

Sir Gibbs extended their bail to the date of the trial.