Sentencing was delayed in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday until next Monday for Carol Ferguson and Victor Stewart, who are both charged for defrauding the National Commercial Bank of $15 million.

The matter was put off because Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey, who is the presiding judge in the matter, was absent when the matter was called up.

Both Ferguson and Stewart had pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretence, causing bank to pay out money by false pretence, uttering forged documents and forgery.

Ferguson, a former payment officer at the bank's head office, was arrested and charged last year after the bank uncovered massive fraud in its accounts.

She is charged jointly with Stewart, who his her common-law husband.

Police investigations reveal that from September 2009 to November last year, Ferguson unlawfully used her access to the bank's internal systems and created illegitimate invoices for catering services.

The cheques were made payable to Stewart.

However, the bank discovered the racket in November last year and conducted an audit which revealed that it was making payments to fake catering services amounting to millions of dollars.

Subsequently, both were arrested and charged.