SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A man charged with counterfeiting money will be back in court next Tuesday after his case was adjourned because of problems finding a lawyer to represent him.

The accused, 31, was in court Tuesday on charges of producing and being in possession of counterfeit money and using it at local businesses.

The man asked for a new lawyer after he said court-appointed defence lawyer Abdul Khan didn't provide him with background information on his alleged crimes. Lawyer Tracy Bock was then appointed to the case, but upon reading up on the details, Bock found himself to be in conflict and was not able to represent the accused.

Bock asked for the case to be held over to next Tuesday so a lawyer could be appointed, but defence lawyer Peter Fuglsang then accepted the case.

The accused was arrested in his home on March 17 after an employee of a local business reported to police that a man used a counterfeit $50 bill that day.

RCMP subsequently obtained a search warrant and arrested the man at his home. Several counterfeit bills were seized at that time - $5, $50, and $100 bills, according to police. The quantity of fake money is still under investigation. Const. Kathy Law told Yellowknifer it wasn't hard to determine the money was fake, calling it "poor quality."

The police are asking people who are unsure of the validity of their cash to check with the Bank of Canada website, which describes ways to identify counterfeit bills. People can also take suspicious money to the RCMP detachment and have the police take a look at it.