The case of former teacher Cecilia Tome, found guilty of larceny involving $1.3 million of government funds, has been adjourned to December 22 for the defense to file its sentencing submissions.
The court has set the sentencing date for 5 January 2026.
The prosecution had already filed its sentencing submissions on the previous court date.
The defence was given until yesterday to file its sentencing submissions.
On Monday, the court was informed that the defence is yet to file its submissions.
Principal Magistrate Emily Zazariko Vagibule Pakoa adjourned the matter to allow the defense time to prepare and submit its argument.
Tome remains in custody as she awaits her sentence.
The case relates to the theft of $1.3 million from a government account between 2017 and 2018.
The court had previously found Tome guilty of simple larceny after funds went missing from her bank account.
In a re-trial, the prosecution presented three witnesses and additional evidence, while Tome chose to remain silent in her defense.
The case was re-opened following a successful appeal by the prosecution against Tome’s 2021 acquittal.
In the original trial, Principal Magistrate Tearo Beneteti had acquitted Tome after a “no-case-to-answer” submission from her lawyer.
The charge of embezzlement was later substituted with simple larceny.
The case revolves around two erroneous payments of over $3 million mistakenly deposited into Tome’s ANZ bank account by a payroll staff member from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MoFT).
Tome failed to report the over-payments to the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Education and Human Resources or MoFT. Between December 2017 and July 2018, Tome withdrew $1.3 million from her account and transferred it to various other accounts for personal use.
The over-payment was discovered in July 2018 by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury Payroll Section, and while more than $2.4 million was returned to the government, the remaining $1.3 million was not accounted for.
Police later charged Tome for using the unaccounted money for her personal benefit.
Tome was arrested by Janus, a joint taskforce between the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) and the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT).
Ben Alasia of the Public Solicitors’ Office represents Tome, while Public Prosecutor Sabrina Habu appears for the Crown.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
