The election petition by an unsuccessful candidate of the 2022 National General Elections, Mr. Peter Wararu against Yangoru-Saussia MP and Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru and the Electoral Commission (EC) of Papua New Guinea was dismissed by the National Court in Waigani yesterday.
“Wararu is a serial petitioner with unmeritorious and baseless accusations and allegations. He filed three unsuccessful petitions so far in the three elections that I won- 2012, 2017 and 2022. All these three petitions have been found by the Courts that they lacked merit and were thrown out at competency stages. Those petitions never went to trial. I thought the petitioner would have learnt his lessons based on what happened in the 2012 and 2017 petitions and stop pursuing baseless allegations, but the filing of the recent petition showed otherwise,” said Minister Maru.
The petition was filed to challenge Minister Maru’s 2022 election win alleging errors and omissions and illegal practices. Minister Maru and EC each filed objections on May 17, 2023, questioning the competency of Mr. Wararu’s petition, claiming it had missing crucial components. Minister Maru’s lawyer, Counsel Tony Waisi said the petition lacked fundamental facts and figures on the grounds that were being used to support the allegations of errors and omissions and illegal practices against Minister Maru.
Justice Jeffrey Shepherd upheld the objection and entirely dismissed the petition as being incompetent.
“The Petition was baseless from the start. After filling the Objection to competency of the petition, my lawyers wrote to the petitioner and his lawyer suggesting for the petition to be withdrawn as it was unmeritorious and was bound to fail. My lawyers further warned the petitioner and his lawyer that if the petition was not withdrawn and was dismissed at the competency stage, the costs would be paid by the petitioner and his lawyer. Despite the advice, the petition was not withdrawn and eventually got dismissed at the competency stage. And the Court had ordered the cost of the petition to be paid by the petitioner and his lawyer on indemnity basis; that is the cost will be shared and paid by the petitioner and his lawyer,” said Minister Maru.
“My three in a row election petition wins have proven very conclusively by three independent court decisions and three different judges that I have won the last three elections fair and square and have not been involved in any foul play, corruption, and all the wild claims that have been made against me. It has also proven conclusively that in the last three elections that I have been elected as MP for Yangoru-Sausia Open, the Electoral Commission had been conducting a fair and clean elections in my electorate. All these unnecessary petitions by desperate losing candidates, led by Peter Wararu have been proven again and again that they have no basis and I have won the elections fair and square,” said Minister Maru.
A relieved Minister Maru said: “The petition took up a lot of my valuable time to focus on my responsibilities to my electorate and the State. Now that it is over, I will return to my electorate and work aggressively to provide improved services for my people of Yangoru-Saussia and also carry out my responsibilities as a State Minister.”
“I want to make it clear to my people of Yangoru-Saussia and Papua New Guinea that Wararu will pay the price for wasting our time by paying for legal cost of this petition and that of 2017,” added Minister Maru.