Aitape man George Steven will know his punishment this Friday when the Waigani National Court delivers its sentence against him.
From Ali island, Aitape in the West Sepik Province he was found guilty by the Waigani National Court on February 10 for forging his former wife’s signature twice to sell their house without her knowledge and consent in year 2000.
Steven returned to court today for submission on sentence. He was given the opportunity to address the court on what his appropriate penalty sentence should be.
He told the court that his former wife had knowledge and consented to him facilitating the sale of the property with some of the sale proceeds given to her when he went to Rabaul.
He said K10,000 was given to his former wife. The house was sold for K28,000.
Steven asked the court for a suspended sentence on the basis of his new young family. While at Bomana for 10 months, he said his family was evicted from their property in Gerehu because he was unable to cater for them.
He also said both he and the complainant have both remarried since.
The State submitted a sentence term of three years for the first count of forgery and a term between 4-6 years for the second count of forgery.
Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika reserved his decision on sentence to this Friday.
The Court had found that Steven forged Ekson Aquila’s signature on two occasions on May 17, 2000 and Nov 15, 2000 to sell the family house which she took out a loan to purchase.
He forged Aquila’s signature in the notice of intension to sell the property, section 284, Lot 69, a house, which she got under the PTC home ownership scheme.
He did so with the intension that the documents be used as genuine evidence of title of property.
Aquila had returned home to the East New Britain Province in 1998 after the couple separated.
She had taken a loan to the property which she managed to repay in 1998. The title was not transferred to her by the time the loan was complete because by then she was already in Rabaul.
Around April 29, 1998 while she was away, Steven forged Aquila’s signature on the discharge of the mortgage document without her consent and obtained the original owner copy of the title.
Steven then further forged her signature on May 17 and Nov 15, 2000 and sold the family home.
The house was sold for K28, 592.92 after it was initially put up for K30,000. Proceeds of the house sale were never paid to Aquila.
Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika in delivering his decision on verdict in February against Steven said a forgery is a forgery regardless of whether Ekson Aquila consented.
“If she consented, she is an accomplice to the crime of forgery. However Ms Ekson Aquila denied she consented and so the accused is on his own there,” Sir Salika said.
He remains on an extended bail until then.