Pomio MP Paul Tiensten has been sentenced to nine years in prison with hard labour at the Bomana Correctional Facility outside Port Moresby.
In a packed court room this afternoon in Waigani, Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika delivered the sentence on Tiensten. Four years of the sentence will be removed if he repays K10 million. The sentence effectively means that Tiensten loses his seat as Member for Pomio, and a by-election is likely to take place to elect a new leader. Task Force Sweep chief Sam Koim was in court, sitting at the prosecution bench. His team investigated and prepared the case against Tiensten and claim this to be the first sentenced victim of their anti-corruption efforts. Before delivering the sentence, the judge relied on the mitigating factors of the submissions made two weeks ago on the likely sentence of Tiensten. Eleven similar cases of misappropriation by former MPs were also cited and the penalties they received as a consequence of misappropriating public funds. Salika relied on precedence in delivering his sentence, and said the greater the amount misappropriated, the higher the sentence. He said Tiensten, who was then the Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, was placed in a position of trust, as an elected MP and appointed a Minister of State. When directing the then Secretary, Ruby Zariga, to make the payment of K10 million to Travel Air, this was an abuse of his position and breach of trust. The action was labelled as careless. A submission for a non-custodial sentence based on community service and restitution was not seen as an option, Salika said, as the offence was serious. He bluntly delivered the nine year sentence with hard labour, adding that four years would be deducted if the K10 million was repaid. It was submitted previously that the money should be repaid by Tiensten and Travel Air. However, Salika said since Tiensten was the only one found guilty of the offence, he would pay it himself. The option to seek Travel Air’s assistance was open to him. Tiensten would have retained his seat as Pomio MP had a sentence of less than nine months was made. A by-election is expected to now take place for Pomio in East New Britain. Tiensten was taken directly to the Bomana Correctional Facility this afternoon under heavy escort. PNG Facts / PNGEDGE Comments are closed.
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