Former Guadalcanal Premier Stephen Panga says he advises the Guadalcanal Provincial Secretary to write to the ANZ bank to put a stop notice to the cheques issued for the ward grants.
Mr Panga revealed this in court on Monday, as one of the main prosecution witnesses in the trial of Member of Parliament for East Guadalcanal Bradley Tovosia and Guadalcanal premier Anthony Veke.
Both accused are facing charges of four counts of abuse of office and seven counts of attempted abuse of office in relation to allegation in July 2010 when Tovosia was working with the Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly and Veke as the Finance Minister for the province.
This relates to $55, 000 they allegedly obtained from the Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly salary account and around $100, 000 of which they allegedly tried to withdraw from that same account.
Mr Panga earlier told the court that on the evening of 6 July 2010 when he was at Henderson Market on his way home after work he received a call from Veke.
He said Veke called him up to return to the office as some of the executive members were already in the conference room and already made decision on a payment.
This payment was in relation to the ward grant from revenue from the Gold Ridge operation. Mr Panga was the premier then.
He had told the court that he had personally written to the Gold Ridge requesting the payment to be made to the Guadalcanal Provincial Government.
He said he requested $320, 000 but only $315, 200 was deposited into the Guadalcanal Province Salary Account.
He said that money being paid into that account became the province’s revenue.
Arriving at the Guadalcanal Provincial office, Panga said he went up to his office before going into the conference room.
He said more than half of the executive members were present in that conference room.
Mr Panga testified that Veke and Tovosia were among them.
He further testified that Tovosia and Veke mentioned something about the payment which a cheque has to be raised for the ward grants.
Part of it will be kept for administration work while part of it will be for the ward grants.
Mr Panga said they were telling him they will arrange to have Janet raise the cheques for the payment.
While he said he knew what they were doing was not right, he did not say nor do anything about it due to the political instability at that time.
Mr Panga denied a claim made by Tovosia which in his record of interview stated that it was Panga who called for a meeting and directed Veke to pick up Janet to collect those cheques.
He also denied Veke’s claim in his record of interview that it was him who chaired the meeting.
“I did not recall chairing any meeting.”
When asked if there was a meeting by the executive members on 5 July, concerning the Gold Ridge revenue, he said there was a meeting but there were no discussions in relation to the payment.
Mr Panga told the court he first came to hear about the disbursements of the payments on 6 July 2010.
It was on 8 July when he went to the office and saw the provincial secretary that he learnt the ward grants were paid.
He said the PS told him there was no approval from him so he verbally told the PS to write to the bank putting a stop notice on the cheques.
He denied receiving any of those cheques or sighted them.
The court heard that on 8 July at about 11am, Panga received a call from Tovosia asking him of his whereabouts and to wait for him.
Mr Panga said he waited for Tovosia in his vehicle in front of the Tamlan shops.
He said Tovosia came and gave him $10, 000 in cash and told him that was for his ward grant.
When asked if he inquired where the money came from, Panga said no.
“It is odd to receive money outside but I accepted it because it was for the ward grants.”
There were no documents to justify the payment and he did not sign any payment voucher for that money.
He said he used the money to assist his people and later retired the money.
Mr Panga was then shown a letter dated 17 December 2014 which he confirmed it was written by him asking for reconciliation with the two accused when the case ends.
He however denied contents of the letter stating they were not true.
The trial before Deputy Chief Magistrate Augustine Aulanga continues.
Anderson Kesaka of DNS & Partners represents Veke while Nuatali Tongarutu of ANT Legal Service represents Tovosia.
Representing the Crown are Police Prosecution’s Advisor Andie Driu and Police Prosecutor Ethel Mae’ue.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
