The Waigani National Court has found Maika Bruno, the former General Director of the National Intelligence Organisation guilty of misappropriation.
Human Rights Judge, Justice David Cannings, convicted Bruno after weighing out the evidence presented in court.
The decision was handed down this morning, after an almost two year legal battle.
The court heard that though the offence occurred in 2013, the matter only came before the Waigani National Court in 2015, after Bruno’s successor, Gari Baki, the current police commissioner reported the matter to the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate.
The former NIO General Director was charged with two counts of misappropriation of State Property under the Criminal Code Act in 2013.
These charges relate to two separate cheques Bruno raised when he was the NIO General Director in 2013.
The cheques value at K55,000 and K36,000 respectively.
The Waigani National Court found that Bruno raised the cheques after he learnt that an NEC decision was made to replace him with Gari Baki.
A trial was conducted in 2016, after Bruno pleaded not guilty before the Waigani National Court.
The court found that the two cheques were unaccounted for and Bruno’s actions were unlawful.
As a result, Justice Cannings issued further orders that a pre-sentence report be prepared and submitted to the court by February 24.
Bruno has been granted bail after conviction.
The matter returns to court for submissions on verdict in February.
