A MAN accused of defrauding $7.3 million from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has denied the allegations made against him.
John Biliki, 45, of Choiseul, on Tuesday entered not guilty pleas to 14 counts of false pretence, 15 counts of money laundering and 15 counts of uttering.
This was in relation to the $10 million scandal in the Ministry of Health and Medical Service.
Biliki’s co-accused, a taxi driver, labelled as the toy boy in this scandal was already jailed early last year for defrauding the government of $1.5 million.
Biliki was accused of stealing $7.3 million between January 1, 2002 and September 20, 2013.
Prosecution alleged he colluded with some public officers from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MoHMS) to carry out the crime.
Prosecution also alleged Biliki registered and operated a shipping agent called Eroba Shipping Services and allegedly assisted to set up the Joke Shipping Services, also a shipping agent, intentionally to make it look legitimate to unreasonable claims of payments from SIG.
These shipping services names were allegedly being used by Biliki and his associates and some officers from the MoHMS, to get several payments from SIG covering up Health Clinic projects in and around the provinces.
The shipping services were set up to ship materials to the various projects sites in the provinces, to which were never done.
The accused and his cohorts allegedly claimed payments from the SIG with fictitious services or services that were never provided.
Part of the money was already allegedly used by the accused and his cohorts.
George Gray of the Public Solicitor’s Office is representing Biliki.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
