BY ROMINAH FAKA

Judgment into the case of a former Procurement Officer at MHMS will be delivered on November 29.

Robert Manu pleaded not guilty to four counts of official corruption and a trial was run.

Yesterday was set for judgment however the presiding magistrate not available.

Prosecution had called three witnesses to testify and defence called the defendant and the financial controller Dalipanda to testify.

Prosecution alleged between 2012 and 2013, the Ministry of Health and Medical Service (MHMS) has suffered from a 10-million-dollar conducted by officers within the ministry.

Within that same scheme between November 2012 and August 2013, MHMS also made 15 payments totaling 47,301,453.40 to two shipping companies, Eroba Shipping Services (Eroba) and Joke Shipping (Joke). Both companies were managed by John Biliki and Wesley Poloso.

An internal audit by MHMS in August 2013 uncovered significant irregularities with these payments.

The audit found all 15 payments to be fraudulent and suspected collusion between MHMS officials, as well as shipping agents, to defraud the Solomon Islands Government by bypassing application for project proposals.

The accused Robert Manu, who was a Procurement Officer at MHMS, was involved in raising 12 of these 15 payments.

Sabrina Habu of Office of Public Prosecution appears for Crown and Jim Seuika for the accused Robert Manu.