The Suva Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a former assistant treasurer of the Kadavu Provincial Council to 13 months imprisonment for corruption-related offences.
Acting Chief Magistrate Josaia Waqaivolavola convicted Suliasi Lau of seven counts of obtaining a financial advantage and four counts of falsification of documents, which were committed in 2019.
It was found that Lau received cash payments collected as provincial levies from four villages in Kadavu, but failed to deposit the money into the Kadavu Provincial Council account.
He also misappropriated the allowances of three village headmen or turaga-ni-koro. In total, Lau obtained a financial advantage of $5780 which he was not entitled to.
He was found to have falsified the council’s payment vouchers by forging the signatures of the three village headmen with the intention to misappropriate their allowances.
Sentencing him earlier this week, Mr Waqaivolavola said Lau had deprived the hardworking village headmen of their rightful allowances, as well as disadvantaged villagers through his criminal conduct.
FICAC lawyers Joshua Prasad and Immanuel Turaga appeared for the prosecution while Tobia Ravuniwa acted for Lau.
He was given 28 days to appeal if he so wished.
