The former Cook Islands internal affairs minister, Peri Vaevae Pare, has been convicted of three charges of taking or dealing with certain documents with the intent to defraud and gain pecuniary advantage.
The Cook Islands News reports that the Chief justice, David Williams, handed down convictions to Pare yesterday morning.
The court found Pare had taken about 250 US dollars from a government special assistance project fund to renovate his home.
The court did not deal with the three alternative charges of receiving property dishonestly.
Each charge comes with a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.
