Salika, Sheppard, four others deny misappropriating K52 million from Western people

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

Greg Sheppard                                                                    Gloria Salika

Salika, Sheppard, four others deny misappropriating K52 million from Western people

PORT MORESBY: Two lawyers, an executive assistant and three board of directors have denied in the National Court that they misappropriated K52 million belonging to the people of Western.

The six made their submissions in the National Court in Waigani yesterday (Nov 2, 2022).

Lawyers Greg Sheppard, from Perth, Gloria Salika (Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika’s daughter), 39, executive assistant Tabitha Malken and directors Boston Kasiman, Edna Oai and Annie Smerewai pleaded not guilty after Judge Teresa Berrigan read the charges to them.

Berrigan adjourned the case to Tuesday (Nov 11, 2022) as the allegations in the notice of the matter were serious and the notice to test the validity of the documents were served late on the State.

The court proceedings were reported by The National:

6 deny alleged misappropriation

November 3, 2022The NationalMain Stories

TWO lawyers, an executive assistant and three board directors who were charged for allegedly misappropriating K52 million in funds belonging to the people of Western have denied the allegations against them.
The six made the submissions at Waigani National Court yesterday.
Lawyers Greg Sheppard, from Perth, Australia, Gloria Salika, 39, from Kulakea village in South Fly, Western, executive assistant Tabitha Malken of Jambitanget village in Wosera-Gawi, East Sepik and directors Boston Kasiman, Edna Oai and Annie Smerewai pleaded not guilty after their charges were read to them.
Sheppard, Salika, and Malken were charged with one count of misappropriation of the K52 million which was allegedly transferred from the Western people’s trust account to Young and William lawyers while the directors were charged with two counts of allegedly being involved in the transaction of the same money (K52 million) and a K216 million belonging to the Western people.
The State in the information presented in court yesterday alleged that the K268 million misappropriated was funded by OK Tedi Mine Ltd.
This was for the implementation of development projects in the Western community mine continuation agreement regions and was kept in the Western province community mine continuation agreement regions peoples’ dividend trust account (WPPDT-CMCA) with the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) Bank .
It was alleged that Kasiman, Oai and Smerewai were the board of directors of Ok Tedi Fly river development foundation Ltd (OTFRDFL).
The State said after a case between OTFRDFL and then Finance Minister James Marape, K52 million was allegedly transferred from WPPDT-CMCA to Young and William Lawyers and K216 million to OTFRDFL.
It further alleged that Sheppard, Salika, Malken, who were the legal officers of OTFRDFL and Kasiman, Oai and Smerewai as directors knowingly facilitated the transfers of the funds for their own use.
The matter returned yesterday for trial but a preliminary issue was raised by Salika’s lawyer Edward Sasingian on the validity of certain documents and the processes used to obtain them. Sasingian filed a notice of voir dire (a trial within a trial) alleging that certain documents in the file were obtained by the police using a defective search warrant.
State lawyer Emmanuel Thomas said the State would need time to file a proper argument in response and obtain further instruction evidence from the investigation team.
The presiding judge Teresa Berrigan adjourned the case to Tuesday as the allegations in the matter were serious and the notice to test the validity of the documents were served late on the State.

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