Bank teller faces plea for forgery
A BANK teller of Bank South Pacific (BSP) accused of forging bank documents and stealing about $500,000 from 40 bank customers will face court on October 30 for plea.
Tessa Solenone Rore, 31, is facing two counts of Larceny by Servant contrary to section 273(a)(i) of the Penal Code and one count of Forgery of Certain Documents with Intend to Defraud contrary to section 336 of the Penal Code.
Her matter was mentioned this week in the Honiara Magistrate Court and was further adjourned for plea on the next date – October 30.
The Court had directed the prosecution to serve disclosures to the defendant’s lawyer before that date.
Henry Kausimae of the Public Solicitor’s Office, who is representing the defendant, in the meantime will be obtaining instructions from the defendant for plea.
The defendant was employed as a Money Gram Teller at the BSP Central Honiara Branch since 16 April 2015.
The allegations against her arise when a BSP customer made an enquiry to the bank about suspicious withdrawals and deposits in or from her personal bank accounts in 2020.
The defendant was then removed from the till and BSP Operational Risk Unit conducted an internal assessment.
The assessment discovered that cash shortage from the till was around $400,000.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant took out money from the till, which resulted in cash shortages. She would make withdrawals from customers’ accounts to balance the till at the end of each business day.
It was further alleged that on the next business day, she would deposit the money back to the customer’s account from the till.
The prosecution also alleged it has been discovered that the defendant did such fraudulent transactions to 40 customers’ accounts since April 2020.
According to the investigation report, the total amount the accused stole from the till was about $500,000.00.
On August 2020, the defendant was officially terminated from her employment.
Public Prosecutor Jonathan Auga is appearing on behalf of the Crown for this matter.
Businesswoman to plead in court in Nov
A BUSINESSWOMAN accused of intimidating a businessman at the Capital Park, East Honiara, in August this year will be pleading to the allegation on November 3.
The date was set after a confirmation was made on the arrangement of an interpreter to appear in court on that day alongside the defendant.
The defendant Sun Yuan Yuan, 42, of China does not speak or understand English, neither the Solomon Islands Pijin.
Yuan is facing one count of Intimidation.
She is the Acting Director of the Burwood Company Limited at Ranadi Industrial Area in East Honiara.
Yuan appeared in the Honiara Magistrate Court and her matter was adjourned for the arrangement of an interpreter.
The victim in this matter is a 58-year-old male person from Malaysia and China and is the Director of Obsta Bright Company Limited.
The prosecution alleged Yuan went by a car to the Mass Corner Restaurant at Capital Park on 4 August and intimidated the alleged victim.
During the confrontation, Yuan mentioned the Triads to the alleged victim. Triads is a Chinese transnational organised crime syndicate
