By SENT TIMBI
A LAWYER is disputing the ownership of a property from which the Mt Hagen city lord mayor and his manager were evicted about two weeks ago.
Paulus Kunai of Kunai and Co has advised lord mayor Lucas Mek to return to the office which the administration has occupied for more than 10 years.
He told The National that in 2002, he had represented the Western Highlands provincial government against Dr Allan Kulunga, who claimed to be the landlord.
He said the Supreme Court dismissed Dr Kulunga’s claim then on the grounds that the land title he held had already been forfeited, thus, allowing for buildings on the land to be demolished.
He said an open campus of the University of Papua New Guinea also operated from the property and “it does not pay rent” to Dr Kulunga.
Dr Kulunga has claimed that the administration owed him more than K600,000 in rent for several years for the office, which is housed in a single-storey building.