People requesting and receiving funds through the Government’s Small Medium Enterprise Scheme (SME) must expend these funds for the intended purposes and acquit accordingly to avoid police prosecution.
Head of the RPNGC’s Crimes Directorate, Acting Assistant Commissioner Victor Isouve was responding yesterday in the wake of investigations into allegations of massive theft and embezzlement within the Gulf Provincial Government.
Acting ACP Isouve issued this statement after a woman accused of misappropriating K30,000 belonging to the Gulf Provincial Government was arrested and charged on Tuesday March 15, 2016 with one count of Misappropriation under Section 383A of the Criminal Code Act.
The suspect identified as Ms Maria Lalori age 35 of Moveave village, Malalaua, Gulf Province is alleged to have misappropriated K30,000 belonging to the Gulf Administration.
Acting ACP Isouve said the accused allegedly applied for funds for a poultry project located somewhere along the banks of the Lakekamu River in the Gulf Province but failed to implement the project.
A Provincial Government cheque number 948 for the sum of K30,000 was paid to the accused on May 11, 2012.
The accused allegedly opened a new account, deposited the cheque, withdrew all of it and closed the account that same day.
Numerous requests were made by the Provincial Treasury for Lalori to acquit the funds but to no avail and further investigations also revealed that no such project was undertaken by the accused.
The matter was then referred to police investigators and Lalori was arrested, questioned and charged.
Isouve said the Government’s SME program is well intended, but the recipients must also exercise good faith and honesty when dealing with public funds.
Acting ACP Isouve described Lalori’s arrest as ‘the tip of the iceberg’ while indicating that several more people who have received monies under the SME program could also be charged for similar offences.