Pastor charged with stealing K100,000

By JACOB POK

A PASTOR in the highlands has been arrested and charged with misappropriating K100,000 belonging to the state, The National reports.
Pr Michael Kui, 35, of Kere­kam village, central Hagen, Western Highlands, was arrested by the government’s task force sweep team after investigations showed that the funds he received from the National Planning and Monitoring Department were not used for their intended purposes.
The task force investigations were carried out following allegations of fraud against church officials of Kerekam Island Cooperative Society in Mt Hagen.
It was alleged that Kui applied on behalf of the society to the department to support a small-scale logging and marketing venture the society wanted to undertake.
The proposal was approved early last year and a cheque deposited by the society into their ANZ Bank account in Mt Hagen on April 26 last year.
However, investigations showed the funds were spent on items not consistent with the proposed projects.
The investigators found that there was sufficient evidence of misappropriation.
Kui was interviewed and formally charged with misappropriating K100,000.
He was detained at the Mt Hagen police station cells but later released on bail.
Meanwhile, a former National Planning and Monitoring senior officer who allegedly conspired with Kui was arrested yesterday
William Sent, a former first assistant secretary in the infrastructure and economic division of the department, was charged with misappropriation.
Sent was one of the senior officers suspended in August for allegedly conspiring with Kui and benefited as a director of Kerekam Island Cooperative Society.