handing out thousands of dollars redundancy payment to an employee accused of stealing from the company.

The payment was made just three days after Joanne Elizabeth Fubler was arrested for stealing more than $36,000 from the company.

"I don't know how the decision was reached but we had to get rid of her,'' Oliver said. "We felt we could no longer continue to work with someone we believed had, over a period of time, stolen a large amount of money from us.'' In the months preceding the arrest, Fubler also received overtime payment for investigating discrepancies in the company's cash control account that came to light during an audit in February, 1992.

While the investigation initially focused on Coral Beach Club -- one of four properties owned by the company -- attention turned to Fubler after errors were found in her bookkeeping, Oliver said.

Fubler, 33, is charged with 13 counts of stealing from Horizons Ltd. between October, 1988 and July 1992 when she worked as an accounts clerk for the company.

It is alleged she removed money from bank bags she collected daily from the hotels to deliver to the bank for deposit. It is also alleged she rewrote bank deposit slips to obscure the thefts.

Oliver said one error in particular concerned a Coral Beach Club deposit of $50,000. He said Fubler entered the amount in a cash flow book under the wrong month and attributed it to the wrong hotels.

He said the error came to light during an internal investigation between February and May, 1992 that resulted in Fubler's arrest in July.

But Oliver's evidence conflicted with that of Horizons Ltd. general manager George Wardman, who said the internal investigation was launched in 1991 and lasted a year. "That is absolutely incorrect,'' Oliver told the court.

"Is it possible the general manager was conducting an internal investigation into areas that you were unaware?,'' asked defence lawyer Mr. Julian Hall.

"That is most unlikely,'' Oliver replied. "We still had no indication of shortages then.'' He also took issue with assertions by former assistant manager at Waterloo House, Dean Miller, who labelled Horizons Ltd. a "Mickey Mouse'' organisation.

"Was the organisation shoddy, haphazard and disorganised?'' Mr. Hall asked.

"No'' Oliver replied.

Miller also testified that Fubler appeared to have more work than she could handle.

But yesterday Oliver said Miller visited the head office where Fubler worked only occasionally and knew nothing of her workload.

"Mr. Miller worked in a hotel far from our office,'' Oliver said. "He would have no ability to comment or knowledge of Joanne Fubler's workload.'' Mr. Hall, alluding to a theft from one of the hotel safes, asked: "If Mrs.

Fubler is indeed a thief she was the only thief employed by Horizons Ltd?'' Oliver replied: "She was the only person whose dishonesty would impact on the cost control account. Other persons might steal from the kitchens or elsewhere.'' However, he admitted that up until the time Fubler fell under suspicion, she performed her work proficiently.

Mr. Peter DeJulio represents the Crown. The case continues before Puisne Judge the Hon. Mr. Justice Meerabux today.