BY ROMINAH FAKA
The interim mention for the case of a teacher accused of embezzling SBD 1.3 million from the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) in 2017 and 2018 was heard in the Magistrates’ Court last Friday.
During the session, both parties informed the court that they had no issues.
The trial is scheduled to begin from April 14 to 18, 2025. The matter has been adjourned to March 28, 2025, for the next interim mention, where parties will inform the court if any issues arise. The accused is excused from appearing at that hearing.
Cecilia Samani Tome was initially charged with one count of embezzlement, to which she pleaded not guilty. The trial was conducted before Principal Magistrate Beneteti Tearo. Instead of calling witnesses, the case was handled through submitted documents.
At the end of the prosecution’s case, the defense lawyer for Tome submitted a “No Case to Answer” motion. The court ruled in favor of the accused, determining that she had no case to answer for the embezzlement charge and acquitted her of the alleged misappropriation of SBD 1.3 million due to an erroneous payment deposited into her bank account.
However, the prosecution appealed the magistrate’s decision to acquit Tome, bringing the matter before the High Court. After reviewing the appeal, Judge Leonard Maina remitted the case back to the Magistrates’ Court for a retrial before a different magistrate.
Following the case’s remittance, Mrs. Tome pleaded not guilty again.
The prosecution alleges that two large payments totaling more than SBD 3 million were deposited into Tome’s bank account in December 2017 due to an error made by a payroll staff member at the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT). Instead of entering the correct payment amount, the staff member mistakenly input the starting date for Tome’s back payments. As a result, an overpayment exceeding SBD 3 million was transferred to her personal salary account.
The prosecution further claims that Tome embezzled SBD 1.3 million of the mistakenly deposited funds for personal use.
John Wesley Zoze from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is representing the prosecution, while Ben Alasia from the Public Solicitor’s Office is defending Cecilia Tome.
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