Bail relief for Pambel, Sambua

THE National Court has relaxed the bail conditions imposed on acting public prosecutor Jack Pambel and his deputy Camillus Sambua to allow them to work on the cases in Lae.
Their lawyer Luke Siminji had convinced the court in Waigani last Friday that the Messrs Pambel and Sambua had work commitments that involved travelling and would need to turn up for their cases in Lae during Supreme Court week this week.
However, Justice Mark Sevua has ordered that they appear on Friday for their hearing in which Mr Siminji will argue why the two court officers should not be punished for contempt of court.
Along with the duo were lawyer Jack Done and administrative officer Dorothy Kakot.
The four were charged with contempt of court early this month after Mr Done failed to appear for a prosecution case that saw armed robbery suspect Danny Pirino walking free from the Kokopo courthouse.
Mr Done spent a night in jail at Kerevat just outside Rabaul while the other three were allowed K300 bail each.
He was later freed on a K100 bail.
Messrs Pambel and Sambua and Ms Kakot had travelled from Port Moresby to Kokopo and appeared before Justice Sevua last Friday to explain their funding constraints and why they should not be jailed for contempt of court.
They were granted K300 bail each with conditions and their cases transferred to Waigani and was heard last June 21.
Last week, Mr Siminji informed the court that his clients had filed affidavits showing that they should not be punished for contempt.
However, Justice Sevua told him that it was not whether they should be punished or not, but for the court to find if “they were guilty” of contempt.
The judge told Mr Siminji that as for Mr Done, he had failed to turn for a prosecution case at court in Kokopo.
Mr Sevua said they had already been cited for contempt and now it was up to them to prove that they were not guilty of contempt, and not whether they should be punished.
Justice Sevua extended their bail to July 2.

 

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