The ruling on the transfer of a case to the High Court of a former Water Authority of Fiji employ­ee charged with corruption will be delivered next month.

Laisiasa Valesu is charged by Fiji Independent Commis­sion Against Corruption (FICAC) with one count each of abuse of office, forgery and obtaining financial advantage.

Alongside Valesu, Pauliasi Waite Simione was also charged with one count of aiding and abetting obtaining a financial advantage.

FICAC counsel Sam Savumiramira made an application at the Suva Magistrates Court yesterday seeking the mat­ter be transferred to the High Court.

Magistrate Asanga Bodaragama had adjourned the mat­ter to February 20 for the ruling on the application to be delivered.

The Charges:

For the abuse of office charge, it is alleged that Valesu, between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2016, in Suva, while em­ployed in the public service as a land acquisition officer with WAF, in abuse of the authority of his office, did arbi­trary acts for the purpose of gain namely facilitating the process of false payments to the amount of $334,496.18.

This was for claims for Crop and Land Compensa­tion for the Muani­kau 5G Project and Nabukalou Project.

These were acts prejudicial to the rights of the WAF.

For the count of forgery, it is alleged that Valesu, be­tween June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2016, in Suva, made false documents.

These were crop compensation forms and easement agreements, in or­der to dishonestly induce public of­ficials employed in WAF, to accept them as genuine claims for crop and land compensation under the Muanikau 5G Project and Nabu­kalou Projects.

This was in order to dishonestly obtain gains from WAF for himself.

For the count of obtaining a financial advantage, it is al­leged that Valesu, between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2016, in Suva, engaged in a conduct namely falsified crop com­pensation forms and easement agreements purported to have been signed by land and crop owners under the Suva Regional Sewerage Scheme.

And as a result of that conduct, he obtained a financial advantage amounting to $334,496.18 from WAF knowing that he was not eligible to receive the said financial ad­vantage.

Simione, between the same timeframe, is alleged to have aided and abetted Valesu to commit the offence in obtain­ing financial advantage in the amount of $26,402.38.

Edited by Percy Kean

Feedback: sheenam.chandra@fijisun.com.fj