Supreme Court hears appeal

Telikom appeared in the Supreme Court in Waigani with the Independent Consumers and Competition Commission (ICCC) and new mobile company Digicel in relation to an appeal by Telikom over two dismissed proceedings by National Court judge Justice Ambeng Kandakasi.
Justice Kandakasi had earlier dismissed both proceedings by Telikom, which sought to get an order declaring the contract between it and the ICCC for its mobile monopoly would end last Oct 17 and not be brought forward.
Digicel joined this proceedings earlier as an interested party and became the second respondent.
Justice Kandakasi had dismissed both cases as an abuse of court process by instituting two proceedings seeking the same relief on the same issue.
Telikom then merged the two and appealed the matter at the Supreme Court.
While the hearing on the appeal was pending, Telikom launched a fresh proceeding in the National Court which Justice Bernard Sakora presided the case.
He also dismissed it as an abuse to process as the same issue was being raised in two proceedings in two different jurisdictions.
He also upheld that there was a contract between Telikom and ICCC to bring forward the end of its mobile monopoly from October to March.
The appeal is heard before Deputy Chief Justice Salamo Injia, Justice Nicholas Kiriwom and Justice David Cannings.