TWO mothers received an immediate sentence of two and a half years imprisonment each on May 31, after 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.

Although $6,569 of the remaining cash from the cheque was returned to the company after the accountant noticed it missing, the transaction was done without the authorisation and knowledge of the company manager.

On May 31, Justice Shuster sentenced Temaleti Tafea (36) of Havelu, a mother of two children, to two and a half years imprisonment for fraudulent conversion, while co-accused 'Ana Vaifo'ou (32), a mother of three from Houma, received a similar sentence for abetment to the fraud.

Justice Shuster stressed that someone who is in a capacity as a supervisor and steals $11,326 from her employer and attempts to cover it up deserved an immediate sentence of between 3 to 4 years imprisonment.

"In an effort to curtail the growing number of cases in Tonga, involving dishonesty, theft or fraudulent conversion of an employer's property a deterrent sentence is warranted," he said.

Shortage

The court was told in July 2008 Temaleti, a supervisor at the E. M. Jones petrol station at Ma'ufanga, noticed a shortage in her cash sales for the day. She asked her co accused 'Ana, who was the cashier at the E. M. Jones office in central Nuku'alofa, for some cash to make up for the shortage.

'Ana then gave Temaleti a cheque in the amount of $11,326 made to E. M. Jones Ltd. from the Free Church of Tonga.

The court was told, the usual procedure, was for 'Ana to deposit the cheque to the company's bank account but instead she gave Temaleti the cheque.

Temaleti, on the other hand cashed the cheque from the Koloua Petrol station, and took the amount she wanted for the shortage in her sales and submitted it in her pay-in to the bank.

She then kept the left over cash in a safe at the petrol station and returned $6,569.67 in the left over cash from the cheque to E. M. Jones after the accountant noticed the missing cheque.

The women who were employed with the E. M. Jones Company for over four years pleaded not guilty to the offences but a jury found them guilty during a trial in April this year.

Breach of trust

Justice Shuster noted that although the women were first time offenders he took into account that this was a serious breach of trust as both were in positions of trust.

He stressed that theft from employers is a serious offence and this is a deterrent sentence imposed by the courts.

The two women were ordered to serve their imprisonment sentence immediately on May 31.