The claim was made by two former HVTC administration clerks during a hearing yesterday where Ashtonfield woman Janine Christine Moylan defended allegations she stole $260,000 while employed by a subsidiary of the company. 

Twenty-three of 40 fraud charges allege Moylan, of Lord Howe Drive, forged cheques in the name of HVTC executive director Kay Sharp while maintaining accounts for TAFE World Skills – a financially independent company – between 2008 and 2009. 

But two administration clerks who worked alongside Moylan gave evidence that the signatures were forged by a staffer, other than Moylan. 

“It was common practice; Kay wasn’t in the office very often ... It was widely known ... all the administration staff would know, Kay herself would know, Kay and [the other staffer] would have an argument over who signed the document,” one of the clerks told the court. 

“[The staffer] would sign her name in blue and pick up the black pen and sign in Kay’s name.”

One of the women said she frequently saw forgery being committed during long absences by Mr Morris and Mrs Sharp. 

But Mrs Sharp rejected claims she ever gave any staff member authority to sign her name. 

“I refute that,” Mrs Sharp said during her evidence. 

Moylan’s solicitor suggested to Mrs Sharp that it was a running joke in the office that the staffer could sign Mrs Sharp’s signature better than she could. 

“It was a running joke, but it wasn’t about cheques,” Mrs Sharp said. 

An independent accountant contracted to audit TAFE World Skills in 2009 said it had not been finalised because Moylan failed to produce key documents. 

The alleged $260,000 theft was discovered when large sums of money were redeposited into the company’s account. 

A decision is yet to be handed down in the matter and final submissions will be made next month. 

Moylan has pleaded not guilty to all 40 charges.