SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The case involving a man charged with counterfeiting $5, $50, and $100 bills could be close to a resolution, according to lawyers.

The 31-year-old man, who is being kept in jail, appeared in territorial court Tuesday and both the Crown and defence lawyers asked for an adjournment because of ongoing discussions.

Crown prosecutor Terri Nguyen asked the case be adjourned until May 11, suggesting a resolution might be in place by then.

Judge Garth Malakoe granted the postponement. He said the charges of producing and being in possession of counterfeit money, indictable by law, are "very serious."

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. Police later obtained a search warrant and said they seized phoney bills and computer equipment from a Yellowknife home.

Power Corp. faces sentence for damaging fish habitat

The NWT Power Corporation could be fined under the federal Fisheries Act for the destruction of habitat in 2006 when a dike at the Snare Forks Hydro Facility burst, approximately 140 km northwest of Yellowknife.

During the first two days of a three-day sentencing hearing, scheduled to wrap up today, Judge Garth Malakoe heard lengthy evidence from Crown prosecutor John Cliffe, which included testimony from environmental experts on the damage the burst dike caused to Strutt Lake.

The pressure of flowing water through the 40-metre hole in the dike, which ruptured on June 15, 2006, washed away some 600 metres of vegetation, earth and permafrost.

The water deposited large quantities of sediment into the lake, formed a delta and caused damage to fish habitat.

It was unknown at press time when Malakoe would deliver the sentence.

The Power Corp. pleaded guilty to the charges.

Whale case adjourned again

The case against a man charged with illegally transporting baleen from a whale was back in court Tuesday, only to be adjourned for further investigation into the details.

The man was charged under Section 78 of the Fisheries Act on Aug. 22, 2009, for allegedly transporting bowhead whale baleen, the fibrous material from the mammal's upper jaw, from Kugaaruk, NU, to Yellowknife without a permit.

Crown lawyer Terri Nguyen said more time was needed to look into the charge. She added she would have to step away from the case because of a conflict of interest.

The case will be addressed by the court for the third time on May 18.