THE forgery case involving the cashing of a government cheque of more than $50,000 is back in court and almost in its finally stage of sentencing.
The sentencing submissions will be made in court before Justice Leonard Maina on June 27.
This followed the long awaited ruling which had just been delivered on May 23, this year for the accused Simon Tigota and for Betris Wale.
Justice Maina found Tigota guilty of one count of forgery and one count of larceny whilst Wale
was found guilty of the charge of uttering.
The court found Tigota, in 2007 forged one of the old government cheques he stole a year earlier and managed to cash the cheque of $560,000 with the help of Wale.
The trial in this case was completed in the Honiara Magistrates’ Court in 2010 and since then has been awaiting ruling.
Another reason for the long delay was of the non attendance of the accused Tigota in which he had just been arrested under a warrant of arrest and remanded in custody last month.
The ruling was delivered in the High Court as the magistrate who presided in this trial has since been promoted to become a High Court judge.
The Public Solicitor’s Office represented both accused.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
