‘Ilona Maria Ika (27) was sentenced to one-year imprisonment for the theft of $18,000 pa’anga from a customer’s account at ANZ Bank. 

Lord Chief Justice Whitten imposed the sentence on October 30 at the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court, after she pleaded guilty.

The defendant was employed by the bank in 2012 until she was dismissed in April this year. She was the Electronic Banking Services Sales officer.

The Court heard her role was to provide support to the EBS sales team by coordinating and managing the delivery of electronic packages to the business market and in particular, high net worth customers. 


In March this year, a bank customer based in Hawaii contacted the bank about a number of unauthorised withdrawals from his internet banking account between December 2019 to February this year.

The bank investigation discovered that the defendant had, without authorisation created an emergency ATM card linked to the customer's account.

The unauthorised withdrawals were traced to the ATMs from which they were made. Security video footage from those ATMs identified her making the withdrawals.

She withdrew $2,000 on nine separate occasions making a total of $18,000. When she was confronted by the bank, she denied responsibility for the offending.

However, she claimed that the customer had physically come to the 
bank and sought her help to withdraw the money for him.

The Chief Justice said, that was of course impossible because the customer lived in Hawaii and did not visit Tonga, during the period in question. 

By September 28 this year, two-days before she was arraigned, her family had fully repaid the $18,000 stolen. 


The Crown submitted the aggravation factors was that she was in a position of trust, which she abused; 
the offending was calculated and deliberate in its execution and 
her actions were highly deceptive and dishonest. 


From the pre-sentence report, the defendant was born in America but was customarily adopted by her paternal grandparents when she was a few months old. 


She is married with no children. At the time of the offending, her position at the bank earned her $15,000 per annum and was then the primary financial provider for her family. 


The Chief Justice said, when asked about the offending, she did not want to give any further information about it but apologised for what happened. 

Breach of trust

The Chief Justice said not only did the defendant breach her obligation of trust towards the bank, she sought to take advantage of a customer of the bank who lives overseas. 

He said the manner in which the offending was executed also showed a significant degree of calculation, planning and connivance. 

"The nine occasions on which withdrawals were made over several months shows a lack of remorse and a willingness to have continued offending unless and until she was caught. Even then, she did not confess her guilt but continued her dishonesty by her demonstrably untrue explanation for what had occurred."

He did not accept the probation officer's recommendation of a non-custodial sentence.

"I do not agree that full suspension is appropriate in this case, for to do so would not provide an effective deterrent to others in similar positions of trust
 who may be tempted to breach that trust and steal from those to whom that trust is owed."

The Chief Justice then sentenced her to one-year imprisonment.

However, he suspended the final six-months for one-year, from the date of her release from prison. This is on conditions that she does not commit any offence punishable by imprisonment, is placed on probation, among others.