An additional charge of fraudulent trick was recently laid against a Kokopo businessman who is facing allegations in court he obtained gold from a foreigner under false pretense in 2008.
Wesley Kopman who is remanded at Bomana for absconding his bail was recently slapped with another charge on top of the three he was already in court for.
Police charged him on allegations he used a fraudulent trick on July 14 last year to get a vehicle on hire for 280 days without paying for it.
The court was told today by Magistrate Mekeo Gauli that Kopman claimed he was a gold trader to the owner of the vehicle and managed to use it on hire at K1,000 per day.
Kopman is also facing three other charges from allegations that date back to 2008; Fraudulent trick and conspiring to obtain goods by false pretense.
He appeared on September 18, 2015 at the Waigani Committal Court on allegations he obtained 639g of gold from an African woman under the pretext of assisting her to sell the gold on September 25, 2008 in Port Moresby.
He was arrested in Port Moresby and charged on September 4 last year for similar allegations he faced in 2009 that was later dismissed by the Kokopo District court.
On his appearance in court on Sept 18 last year, he requested to have his matter transferred to Kokopo where he is based however he was refused the request of the court.
The court explained the reason being his case was earlier thrown out by the Kokopo District Court on similar charges.
He was released on bail and was expected to fly into Port Moresby every month for court hearings. However that did not eventuate resulting in a warrant issued by the court for his arrest on Dec 17, 2015.
That warrant was executed on Kopman and he is now being remanded at Bomana.
It is alleged Kopman and the African woman (complainant) met in Port Moresby in 2008 where an agreement was signed between them for him to sell the gold on behalf of her.
This however did not eventuate and the woman left the country at the end of 2008 after unsuccessful attempts in relocating Kopman or her gold.
In 2009, the brother of the woman found Kopman in Port Moresby where a complaint was laid to Police and Kopman was arrested.
He is expected back in court on Nov 16.