Mr Namah’s lawyers filed an originating summons at the National Court yesterday afternoon which will be heard this morning before senior judge Catherine Davani.
According to the documents filed, the Opposition Leader is seeking urgent orders staying the suspension and restoring the four policemen back to the investigations into acomplaint that he had lodged against Prime Minister Peter O’Neil, Finance Minister James Marape and Treasurer Don Polye. In his affidavit filed in support of his application, Mr Namah produced a letter from fraud squad director Chief Superintendent Matthew Damaru, dated November 1, 2013 confirming the registration of Mr Namah’s complaint in the police records under complaint number FCR 185/13. In that letter, Mr Damaru advised Mr Namah that the complaint would go through the normal investigation process. In a statement yesterday Mr Namah said the Waigani District Court found no irregularities in the manner in which the arrest warrants were obtained and the only defect was they were sought under the wrong section of the Arrest Act. The same court had also stated in its decision that the suspended officers can obtain fresh warrants under the right provision, according to the Opposition Leader. "The conduct of the Police Commissioner in suspending these policemen, who were carrying out a lawfully constituted investigation, is disgraceful," Mr Namah said. "It is apparent that the Prime Minister and his Police Commissioner are hellbent on suppressing a properly constituted police investigation. Both these men have shown the people of PNG that they will go to any length to ensure that a lawful investigation is suppressed. "I am now going to the National Court to invoke the court’s powers to intervene and stop this dictatorial style of leadership from affecting the constitutionally guaranteed independence of the police force." Mr Kulunga, in a press conference last Friday, said the three warrants of arrest (including the six others obtained by the four suspended officers) were set aside by the district court as they were non-compliant with the various provisions of the Arrest Act. "We were all made aware of the warrant of arrests when the newspapers published them," the Police Commissioner said. "This has raised serious questions about our impartiality or objectivity in the investigations conducted and has tarnished the image and reputation of the RPNGC." PNG Facts / Post Courier Comments are closed.
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