Man Pleads Guilty to TLE Fraud at PBCN
Friday, August 12, 2011 at 14:47
A man charged with taking money from the Treaty Land Entitlement fund belonging to the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation has pleaded guilty.
This morning in Prince Albert provincial court George Kevin Sewap was convicted of a charge of fraud under $5,000.
It was back in 2004 that Sewap was working as an administrative assistant for the band.
Court heard today that he had access to a series of blank cheques for the T.L.E. account that were already signed.
The cheques were held by the Peter Ballantyne Band Development Limited which was working on an approved project for the band hall.
Sewap used one of the cheques to buy a ticket for a trip to Mexico.
He never actually went on the trip but did spend $3,200 on the ticket.
The judge gave Sewap a conditional sentence ordering him to pay back the money within a year.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Sewap’s lawyer Noland Courteau, says his client is glad to have the matter put behind him.
“He’s happy, he’s ready to move on. It was a small amount of funds. He’s happy, he’s happy today and he’s looking forward to moving on to bigger and better things.”
Meantime, the crown says it’s satisfied with the outcome.
Prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczko says, however, there are still some unresolved matters.
“There is a huge investigation. What will result in whether any other charges will come out of it, we’ll have to see. The officer that investigated this matter did a very extensive investigation. The original complaint from the new chief at that time found that there were band funds that were improperly used.”
Back in March of 2005, a lawyer’s letter to the PBCN trustees indicated $3.7 million had been emptied out of a T.L.E. account.