Papua New Guinea's National Court has refused a government minister's request for a review of the Ombudsman Commission's decision to refer him to the Public Prosecutor.
The Commission referred public enterprises minister, Ben Micah, to the prosecutor in March, after allegations of misconduct in office and breaches of the Leadership Code surfaced.
But Mr Micah sought a National Court review, saying he had an arguable case and that all administrative remedies had been exhausted in his attempts to challenge the validity of the referral.
However, acting judge Leka Nablu disagreed, saying Mr Micah had not exhausted all administrative remedies, and his claims were of no merit.
The Post Courier reports her saying that the matter was still before the Public Prosecutor who had not yet considered prosecution or otherwise.
Ben Micah is one of eight PNG MPs who have been referred to the Public Prosecutor in recent months.
Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
