A man from Aitape has been sentenced to three years in prison for forging his former wife’s signature without her knowledge and consent to sell their family home.
That prison term can be suspended if George Steven of Ali island, Aitape, West Sepik, facilitates the return of the said property at PTC housing estate at Waigani, to his former wife, Ekson Aquila.
He will also avoid custodial sentence if he repays K30,000 within 12 months from today to the man who purchased the property from him in 2000.
He is also to keep good behaviour for the next two years.
These terms were given to him in court yesterday if he wants the court to suspend that sentence of three years in prison. He has 12 months to do so.
The Court had earlier convicted him of two counts of forgery after it found that Steven forged 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 intention to sell the property, section 284, Lot 69, a house, which she got under the PTC home ownership scheme.
He did so with the intention 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.
The court found that 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.
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.