BY JENNIFER KUSAPA
Judgment into the case of a man accused of stealing more than $370,000 from the Solomon Forest Association (SFA) will be delivered today.
It was listed on Monday this week for judgment but the presiding magistrate moved it for this afternoon.
This is regarding the case of 46-year-old Patrick Soeasi Maelaua who is charged with 13 counts of larceny by servant.
He denied the charges and a trial was conducted on his case where prosecution called witnesses to testify before the court.
The allegation said the accused was the accountant at the Solomon Forest Association (SFA) when the offending happened.
It is also alleged that he also had in his custody the association’s cheque book.
The prosecution alleged that on 13 different occasions between 30 September 2016 and 1 February 2017, he withdrew or cashed 13 cheques totalling up to $375,000 from the SFA funds.
Allan Tinoni of the Public Solicitor’s Office represents Maelaua while Public Prosecutor Steward Tonowane appears for the crown.
