EC Sinai must use power, says Judge

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

EC Sinai must use power, says Judge

PORT MORESBY: Judge Joseph Yagi says Papua New Guinea (PNG) Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai should deal with General Election 2022 (GE22) officials disobeying his instructions which are raising issues in court.

“Sinai has the power to deal with officials who are arrogant and refuse to follow (his) instructions. These are issues within his powers and the longer he delays to act raises the facts of the proceeding,” he added.

Judge Yagi raised this in te National Court in Waigani yesterday (July 27, 2022) during a case filed by GE22 Kandep candidate Luke Alfred Manese (People’s National Congress).

PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below the news break and other GE22-news updates as published by The National:

Sinai must use power, says Judge

July 28, 2022The NationalMain Stories

NATIONAL Court judge Joseph Yagi says Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai should deal with election officials disobeying his instructions which are raising issues in court.
“Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai has the power to deal with officials who are arrogant and refuse to follow (his) instructions,” he said.
“These are issues within his powers and the longer he delays to act raises the facts of the proceeding.”
Judge Yagi raised this in the National Court in Waigani yesterday during a case filed by Kandep Open candidate Luke Alfred Manase for Sinai to stop intervening in the work of returning officer Henry Apakali.
Lawyer Russel Uware, representing the Electoral Commission, said Sinai who was based in Port Moresby had difficulties in dealing with the returning officers and their assistants in the provinces.
He said a declaration had already been made on the winner of the Kandep Open seat and that it would be better to have the application filed through of an election petition.
Manase’s lawyer Justin Isaac then asked the court to adjourn the matter to a later date because developments on the matter were still changing.
Judge Yagi adjourned the matter to Aug 3 for mention.
Isaac said the order they sought was to declare that Sinai had acted in Apakali’s position when he refused to accept nine ballot boxes allegedly hijacked.
“The other orders we sought were to stop the counting, have the nine ballot boxes scrutinised and to make a declaration that some of the boxes admitted and scrutinised were not done properly cannot be obtained due to the fact that a declaration was made at 4pm on Tuesday,” Isaac said.

 

Court asked to declare win as invalid

KANDEP Open candidate Kenlokai Sop Lepen has asked the National Court to declare as invalid the announcement that Don Polye has won the seat.
Lepen’s lawyer Joshua Talipan asked Waigani National Court judge Joseph Yagi to order a stop to the counting of the Kandep seat ballot papers.
Talipan told the court that despite the instruction from Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai on Tuesday to stop the counting, returning officer Henry Apakali and Enga Election Manager Anton Iamau continued with it, and declared Polye the winner on Tuesday afternoon.
He added that some ballot boxes under dispute were yet to be counted and were in the Wabag police station.
Troy Mileng, representing the Electoral Commission from the Solicitor-General’s Office said the declaration had already been made and advised that an election petition be filed in the appropriate court.
The substantive matter returns to court on Friday.

Man loses life, GE22-related violence death toll now 51

By JIMMY KALEBE
PAPUA New Guinea (PNG)’s General Election 2022 (GE22)-related violence death toll has gone up to 51 nationwide since May 20.
This follows the death of a man in the hands of disgruntled supporters of a losing candidate in Bulolo on Sunday night.
Morobe commander superintendent Jacob Singura said the supporters turned rowdy along the Bulolo Highway after the result was announced.
“They ambushed travellers at the Mumeng junction, stoned passing vehicles, causing the death of the man,” he added.
“We have the identities of the supporters.”
Bulolo, Wau and Menyamya zone commander and Wau police station commander Senior Inspector Leo Kaikas, said the incident happened on Sunday night at the Kumalu River section of the Bulolo Highway in Mumeng.
“The supporters were furious with the announcement of Sam Basil Jr as the Bulolo MP and started throwing stones and attacking road users.
“Several motorists and passengers were injured and a man died from injuries caused by the assailants,” he added.
He said a unit of the Bulolo-based Mobile Squad 15 was sent there on Monday and the situation was under control although “still tense”.

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