Palm Island accountant charged with fraud

PALM Island’s Deputy Mayor has been caught up in the investigation into fraud charges laid on a former accountant of the council.

Narayan Bahadur Ranabhat, 47, of Douglas, a former accountant for Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, was charged on July 24 with two counts of fraud as part of an ongoing Crime and Corruption Commission investigation.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the Palm Island Deputy Mayor Roy Prior.

Ranabhat’s two alleged fraud offences were committed in January and October 2017.

Court documents, seen by the Townsville Bulletin, revealed Ranabhat was accused of dishonestly applying a “banking credit” belonging to the council to the use of Cr Prior on one occasion.

“Banking credit” refers to a situation where a bank was directed to pay money into a nominated account.

Ranabhat’s charge concerning Cr Prior is alleged to have occurred on October 23, 2017.

The other fraud charge is alleged to have occurred on January 4, 2017.

Both offences allegedly took place at the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council’s office in Garbutt.

Ranabhat is expected to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on August 15.

The charges against the former accountant come after the council’s chief financial officer, John Mugambi Mwamba, was charged with 24 counts of fraud in relation to the CCC investigation.

Mwamba is facing 24 charges of fraud dating back to January 2017 and has been suspended with pay from the council pending an internal investigation.

It was revealed in court that Mwamba allegedly defrauded the council of $11,684.48 over a period of nearly two years.