By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
WAIGANI District Court has authorized Detectives from the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate (NFACD) to investigate Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai on allegations of misappropriating K8million during the 2022 National elections.
Senior Magistrate Danny Wakikura last Tuesday withdrew the Stay Order to investigate Mr Sinai and Deputy Electoral Commissioner for Corporate Division, John Kalamorah after Police Prosecutors Inspector Simon Hombigu told the Court that the defendants Lawyer Mr Kayoma Akeya had requested him to settle the matter out of court.
Inspector Hombigu also told the court that this matter has been in Court since 14th December 2022 (five months now) and the Court needs to make a decision.
Magistrate Wakikura after considering Inspector Hombigu’s argument ruled in Police favor saying that it’s not good to stop police from conducting investigation. “After the matter, will still come before the court”.
Magistrate Wakikura on 14th December 2022 had issued a stayed order on a search warrant obtained by the NFACD Detectives from searching for financial documents in the corporate division of the Electoral Commission. This is part of their investigation into allegations that Mr Sinai has allocated K8million to a company to install surveillance camera (CCTV) in selected counting rooms throughout the country during the 2022 National elections.
However, it is alleged that the company took the money and never delivered the project. The NFACD Detective Chief Inspector Timothy Gitua has obtained a search warrant at the Waigani District Court House on 11th October 2022 against Mr Kalamorah and on the 19th October against Mr Sinai to search for financial documents in the corporate division of the Electoral Commission.
Mr Sinai and Mr Kalamorah then took a Stay order also from the Waigani District Court House against the search warrants claiming that the stay order was defective.
Thy claimed that NFACD Defective Chief Inspector Gitua had forged outgoing acting NFACD Director Chief Inspector Kuiab Pare’s signature to apply for the search warrant without Kuiab’s knowledge .
They also claimed that the complainant Noel Anjo is a failed candidate and has political motive to lay this complain.
Mr Wakikura adjourned the case to 28th March 2023 after Mr Sinai and Mr Kalamorah lawyer Mr Kayoma Akeya made a submission to stay the search warrant.
The case was adjourned to give an opportunity for Police to argue before the Court to set the Stay order aside and allow police to search for financial documents in the Corporate Division to investigate Mr Sinai and Mr Kalamorah.
The case was adjourned for four times till last Tuesday when Mr Wakikura handed down the decision.
