THE warrant of arrest (WOA) issued for the man accused of obtaining a laptop and mobile phone under false pretenses in 2019 from a local phone shop in Honiara had been withdrawn, Monday.
This was after Martin Pola Nehemiah, 40, told the court that he did not attend last’s week court appearance because he was busy in dealing with a logging issue that happened back in his home village in Malaita.
He said as a principal landowner he is required to sort the issue.
The warrant of arrest was therefore withdrawn and his matter was further adjourned to May 3.
The adjournment was made for Nehemiah to engage a lawyer to represent him in this matter.
The prosecution was also ordered to provide disclosures to the defence before the next date.
Nehemiah is facing three counts of obtaining credits by false pretence.
These relate to allegations in 2019 in China Town, Honiara.
The prosecution alleged Nehemiah had obtained four mobile phones and a laptop from the Smart Technology shop in China Town.
Nehemiah allegedly went to the shop and introduced himself to the shop’s Managing Director as the president of the Christian Education Schools of Solomon Islands (ACESSI).
He also told the Managing Director that this organization is mainly for all Christian schools authority in and around the country.
Following their conversation, Nehemiah then allegedly made an agreement with the complainant for him to collect items from the shop and those items will be paid by the ACESSI when the school grants are available.
Nehemiah then on three occasions between 28 February 2019 and 28 March 2019 went to the shop and allegedly collected a total of four mobile phones and a netbook laptop.
The mobile phones each cost $2,250 and the laptop costs $2,850.
It was alleged that each time he collected the items, he gave invoice proformas.
A few months later, it was alleged that the complainant tried to make several attempts to contact Nehemiah through mobile phone but Nehemiah would reply with negative feedback.
The Complainant even gave Nehemiah a grace period of 12 months in 2020 for him to make the payments for the items but that was not done.
On 6 March this year, the Complainant then went and reported the matter to the Central Police Station.
Nehemiah was located by the police on that same day and was arrested and later arrested and placed in police custody.
Police Prosecutor Watson Akwai is prosecuting.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN BONGIDANI
Newsroom, Honiara
