By PETER MIVA
A RULING on the trial hearing the petition by Tukape Masani alleging irregularities in the counting of the 2007 Huon Gulf election results will be made on March 7.
Mr Masani, a losing candidate to sitting MP, Health Minister Sasa Zibe is seeking to nullify the election result.
His petition alleged omissions and errors on the part of election officials in the scrutiny and counting of votes.
The petition alleges that after primary votes were counted, the scrutinisers were moved back some distance from the actual counting by the officials so that they were not able to scrutinise the ballot papers distributed during the elimination process.
Three witnesses appeared for Mr Masani, while one appeared for Mr Zibe.
Another witness gave evidence for the second and third respondents, which were the Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen and the Commission.
Mr Masani’s scrutiniser Eric Lucas, Dominic Pangau for candidate Thomas Nen and Douglas Gedisa for Anaha Kamake all gave common evidence of being barred from the elimination counts.
Mr Masani’s counsel John Sirigoi of Sirigoi Lawyers and the PNG Electoral Commissioner’s Ray Williams of Nongorr and Associates Lawyers, cross-examined the three scrutiniseers last Wednesday.
Lucas alleged being kept away from scrutinising elimination counts 19 and 20.
He told the court they were allowed to only 1.6 m from the ballot papers and did not have a clear view.
He claimed that returning officer Robin Bazzinuc conducted the elimination process without their scrutiny.
However, Bazzinuc appeared later and refuted the claims.
Bazzinuc told the court that he conducted the counting transparently.
His evidence was backed by another witness, Zibe’s scrutiniseers Jack Ronnie last Friday that the counting during the elimination counts were done correctly and no attempts were made to bar them.
Electoral Commission witness Martin Tenia also gave a similar account.
Justice Sakora instructed all counselto complete their written submissions by 4pm tomorrow and has set Thursday to deliberate on the submissions which will be in Waigani and then make a ruling on March 7 in Lae.