TWO mothers and former employees of E.M. Jones Ltd, who were serving two and a half years imprisonment sentences each for fraudulent conversion and abetment to the fraud, were released from Hu'atolitoli Prison on October 8, after the Court of Appeal upheld their appeal and suspended their imprisonment sentences.

Temaleti Tafea (36) of Havelu and 'Ana Veikoso (32) were former employees of the E.M. Jones Ltd who were convicted for fraudulently cashing around $4,700 out of a stolen cheque of $11,326 from their employer E. M. Jones Ltd, in order to cover up a shortage in sales.

In May this year, Justice Shuster upon conviction sentenced them to two and a half years each without suspension. They have already served up to four months.

The Court of Appeal in their judgment substituted the initial sentences of two and a half years to two years and suspended the whole sentence for two years.

In regards to their appeal against conviction Justice Burchett, Justice Salmon and Justice Moore did not find any proper basis for an acquittal and did not think there was any miscarriage of justice.

Suspension

However, in regards to their appeal against sentencing, they noted that Justice Shuster's remarks referred to glowing references in regards to the women and their honest cooperation with the police.

But he did not refer directly to the fact that these mature aged women had both been of previous good character and had no previous convictions, said the Court of Appeal.

Justice Shuster had imposed the two and a half years sentence and declined any part or whole of the sentences to be suspended so as to deter people from stealing from their employer.

The Court of Appeal found that on the grounds of previous good records, cooperation with the police and the likelihood they would take opportunity to rehabilitate themselves, they quashed the initial sentences of two and a half years imprisonment and substituted with two years which they suspended for two years.