The Financial Accountant for Post Fiji was today called in as the sixth prosecution witness in the trial in relation to the abuse of office and embezzlement case of former Nasinu mayor Rajeshwar Kumar and former Town Clerk Jaswant Kumar.

The two are alleged to have colluded to raise a cheque amounting to $2,344 for payment to Post Fiji Limited however the cheque was cashed at the Westpac Bank without the knowledge of Post Fiji Limited.

In his cross examination by FICAC lawyer Laisa Lagilevu, Vimal Prasad revealed that there was no one by the name of Meli who was employed at Post Fiji during the time of the alleged offence.

This was in relation to a Memo sent by the second accused, Jaswant Kumar to the Nasinu Town Council on the 12th of March in 2007, where he said that one reason for the missing cheque was that a person by the name of Meli from Post Fiji Limited had picked up the cheque.

Prasad said after receiving calls from the Auditor General's Office and FICAC investigators, he established with their Human Resources Department, that there was no-one by the name of Meli.

Defence lawyer, Rajendra Chaudhry then asked Prasad whether it was possible if someone else could have picked up the cheque and used another name, to which Prasad said that was possible however, to his knowledge there was only one person, a certain Joana Kini who was following up all transactions relating to the accounts of the Nasinu Town Council.

The High Court also heard that a cash cheque could only be issued if all other cheques from the account holders bounced but Prasad stressed that in all previous dealings with the Council, Post Fiji have always dealt with non-negotiable cheques.

This is in regards to the process where the staff from the Nasinu Town Council would take stationery on loan and then the Council would pay Post Fiji at a later date.

The trial continues this hour.