HENRY Murray is appealing the Magistrate’s Court ruling that convicted him of defrauding the government of more than $700,000.
This was revealed in court yesterday after Murray’s lawyer lodged an application for “stay of proceedings” to allow his appeal to be heard in the High Court.
Chief Magistrate Emma Garo will rule on the application today.
The prosecution is objecting to the stay application.
Ms Garo having heard the submissions from counsels adjourned the matter to 3pm for the ruling.
The former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development was found guilty after a trial of 11 counts of official corruption for corruptly receiving $707,550 between 2014 and 2017 from vehicle hires.
He was however, acquitted of three of the official corruption charges involving $188,450.
Murray’s wife Rose, who was also on trial for 16 counts of false pretences, was found not guilty.
Murray was charged in relation to a company he set up in 2014, when he was employed as the Director of Mechanical Engineering Division, which received $707,550 of public funds by Murray.
He was later appointed as Permanent Secretary on 31 August 2015 when signed the agreement of Service as PS of MID with the Solomon Islands Government.
He registered his company, the Krash Transport & Marketing, as a business with the Company Haus in 2014.
He then registered the business entity Krash Transport and Marketing with the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) of the Ministry of Finance & Treasury (MoFT) for tax purposes.
Between April 2014 and May 2017, the Krash Transport and Marketing have entered into agreements with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development.
These agreements have been for the hire of motor vehicles for personnel of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, including the Permanent Secretary Murray himself.
These payments for the vehicle hires were made through cheques and electronic funds transfers were deposited into the ANZ account in the name of Krash Transport and Marketing.
The L & L Lawyers is representing Murray while Public Prosecutor Florence Joel is appearing for the Crown.
Public Prosecutor Margaret Suifa’asia will now take over this matter from Ms Joel is now working within the Prime Minister’s Office.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
