A lawyer who is also a National Federation Party candidate in the upcoming General Elections and another man will be produced in the Rakiraki Magistrates Court today for allegedly obtaining money by deception.
The men allegedly deceptively obtained more than $120,000 from a woman’s trust account.
The lawyer who is the first accused has been charged with one count of conversion and one count of money laundering.
NFP candidate and lawyer Semi Titoko who is the former Acting President for NFP is the first accused and has been charged with one count of conversion and one count of money laundering.
For the first count of money laundering, Titoko is alleged to have fraudulently converted more than $120,000 that was entrusted to his firm for safe custody under the victim’s trust fund to his own use and benefit sometime between July 2017 and June 2018.
For the second count of money laundering, Titoko is alleged to have engaged directly or indirectly in transactions involving more than $120,000.
The second accused is the law firm’s accountant who faces one count of money laundering for allegedly engaging directly or indirectly in transactions involving more than $120,000.
National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad says it is rather unfortunate that this has come at this point in time.
Prasad says he has not spoken to Titoko yet and he will do so later today.
He says they will take it up from there.
