A JURY found a 34-year-old shipping clerk not guilty on five counts of embezzling just over $10,000 from Dateline Shipping Co in 2007, in a verdict delivered this afternoon at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa.

Simote Polelei of Kolofo'ou, a former male assistant of a shipping company in Nuku'alofa, represented himself in court on charges of five counts of embezzlement in which it was alleged that he fraudulently converted and cashed five cheques he received on behalf of the Dateline Shipping Company (now Dateline Transam Shipping) from Golden Fortune Enterprise, a local company in 2007.

The jury of three men and four women deliberated for an hour this morning, March 9, before they delivered their not guilty verdict on all five counts.

Chief Justice Hon Michael Dishington Scott, presided over the trial since it began on March 8, acquitted Simote of all charges.

Free man

The Crown Prosecution represented by Joan Puloka and Silivia 'Atiola at the start of the jury trial told the court that from February 20 to June 20, 2007 Simote had on five different occasions cashed five cheques from the Westpac Bank of Tonga for his own use.

He received the cheques on behalf of the shipping company paid by the Golden Fortune Enterprise. The cheques were in various amounts of $4,606, $1,121, $752, $2,619 and $2,000.

Simote who represented himself in court was given the choice to make an unsworn statement in court and he did, before the Chief Justice summed up the case.

The jurors reached their verdict before lunch today and Simote walked out a free man.