The Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, has won a week long stay on a police arrest warrant after a controversial morning in the National Court with two lawyers competing to represent the police.
Transcript
The Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, has won a week long stay on a police arrest warrant after a controversial morning in the National Court with two lawyers competing to represent the police.
Police are seeking to arrest Mr O'Neill over his alleged involvement in illegal payments made to the Paul Paraka law firm.
Our correspondent Todagia Kelola, who has been at the court, spoke with Don Wiseman.
TODAGIA KELOLA: There were two lawyers that appeared. One was the in-house lawyer for the police, Nicholas Miviri, who was representing police earlier and yesterday. Now this morning there was a new lawyer that appeared and said he is representing the police and that he has been instructed by the new acting police commissioner Geoffrey Vaki and the new Attorney General, Ano Pala, to represent the police. So the judge adjourned and when he returned he made a ruling that Mr Mawa shall appear for the police where he fronted Mr Mawa to appear for the police force, Mr Mawa submitted that his instructions were not to oppose the Prime Minister's application, second to stay the warrant of arrest is in agreement with the Prime Minister's lawyers for the warrant of arrest to be stayed.
DON WISEMAN: Stayed for how long?
TK: Well when he made that submission before the judge, the judge refused that consent order that the Prime Minister and the new police lawyer was seeking and he told them that he adjourned the court until the 25th of June and also told both Mr Mawa, and Tiffany Nonggorr who is appearing for the Prime Minister to return on the 25th. And then they will argue whether the consent order that they both gave the judge will be granted. So basically it's back to square one. The court just adjourned and orders made yesterday remains the same where police cannot affect any arrests until the orders sought by the Prime Minister and with the new police lawyer that they was trying to concern is sorted out.
DW: He's effectively got another week's grace, the Prime Minister?
TK: Yes.
DW: The situation with the lawyers changing, is this seen as remarkable?
TK: As far as the public and the media knows, Nicholas Miviri, superintendent Nicholas Miviri is the in-house lawyer for the police. But with the new changes that just came up, was where the substantive two substantive deputy commissioners are not happy with the appointment of the new acting commissioner, they've instructed Nicholas Miviri to go and oppose this stay application by the Prime Minister. But with the new lawyer that just went before the court, he basically has consented to what the lawyers of the Prime Minister say, that is to stay the warrant of arrest. Which basically means the Prime Minister cannot be arrested. The warrant may be returned to the District Court for where it was taken from.
Todagia Kelola says there is some disquiet in the police at the appointment this week of Geoffrey Vaki as acting commissioner.
Mr Vaki took over on Monday after the retirement of Tom Kulunga.
Mr Kulunga is currently appealing his conviction and seven month jail sentence for contempt of court after he ignored a court directive to re-instate a suspended Mr Vaki.
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