Ex-FNPF employee, seven others facing fraud charges granted bail

Aformer employee of the Fiji National Provident Fund and seven others have been granted bail by the Magistrates Court in Suva. Jack Edward Hiramatsu is alleged to have forged several legal documents that enabled him and seven others to obtain more than $49,000. Hiramatsu, 41, Adi Mara Rufina Qaranivalu, 32, Taniela Samutitoga, 45, Milio Raiyawa, 48, Mereonie Drawe, 36, Vereti Sigavakarau Sawaqa, 35, Salote Caraqeti, 37 and Temo Tuilailai appeared before Chief Magistrate Usaia Ratuvili yesterday. The alleged offence occurred

between the months of March and April, this year. The total amount involved is $49,300. Hiramatsu, a former employee of the FNPF legal department, is alleged to have knowingly used forged Certificate of Title documents provided by iTLTB staff Qaranivalu and colluded with Samutitoga, a travel agent, to write the title under his name. Qaranivalu is charged with one count of forgery while Samutitoga is charged with one count of obtaining financial advantage by deception. Raiyawa, Drawe, Sawaqa, Caraqeti and Tuilailai have been charged with one count each of using forged documents and one count each of obtaining financial advantage by deception as they posed as prospective buyers of the land written under Samutitoga.

The five allegedly submitted their original withdrawal Urban Housing Assistance form with the intention of inducing Fiji National Provident Fund officials to accept it as genuine, and on its acceptance dishonestly obtained a gain amounting to $49,300 which all the accused persons allegedly shared. Chief Magistrate Ratuvili had granted bail to all eight accused persons on the bail bond sum of $700 each with two sureties each to sign a bail bond in the sum of $700 each.

He also ordered all the accused persons to surrender their passports and travel documents and ordered them not to obtain any travel documents.

Chief Magistrate Ratuvili also issued a stop departure order for all eight accused persons and ordered them to report to their nearest Police Station once a week between 8am and 6pm.

They were ordered not to reoffend, not to interfere with any of the prosecution witnesses, reside at a fixed address and not to change their address without the leave of court and attend all court dates.

The matter was adjourned for plea to August 28.