4 Nov 2003

Fraud trial of senior Cook Islands civil servant resumes today

11:26 am on 4 November 2003

The trial is to resume in the Cook Islands today of the former chief of staff in the office of the prime minister, Edward Drollett, on fraud charges.

Drollett is charged with taking more than 25 thousand New Zealand dollars in kickbacks from an accountancy firm he contracted to manage the books of the office of former prime minister, Dr Terepai Maoate.

He is denying the charges.

He changed his plea two days after the case opened in June to guilty but has since retracted that.