Man on theft charges walks free

A MAN who was charged for stealing $258,361 from Sunflower Aviation Ltd has walked free after the Nadi Magistrates Court ruled he had no case to answer.

Abinesh Singh was charged for theft after he received the money from overseas private jet owners (clients of the company) into his personal bank account between April 2014 and August 2015.

Magistrate Seini Puamau ruled on December 10 that the State’s case was “entirely circumstantial”.

“For one thing, the evidence states the defendant was permitted by the company to operate his own private business, separate from any work for and on behalf of Sunflower Aviation Ltd,” said magistrate Puamau.

“The State have led no evidence to establish why these companies chose to pay those monies into the defendant’s bank account instead of into Sunflower Aviation Ltd’s account.

“The State have led no evidence to establish Sunflower Aviation Ltd’s claim of right over any of the monies paid into the defendant’s account.

“The submission is simply because these were private jet clients, the payments must have been for private jet ground handling work and because it must have been for private jet ground handling work, the defendant must have, somehow, dishonestly diverted those payments from those clients into his personal bank accounts.”

Magistrate Puamau said no evidence was provided that these monies were for ground handling work and work carried out by or on behalf of Sunflower Aviation Ltd.

“That being so, it is clear that at the close of State’s case, a case has not been made out against the defendant sufficiently to require him to make a defence.

“I acquit him accordingly.”

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