Three SC judges to handle ‘Moti’

By JULIA DAIA BORE
THE Chief Justice has selected three Supreme Court judges to preside over a contempt of court hearing over the Julian Moti affair.
Ian Augerea, registrar of the Supreme and National Court, said it was unfortunate that Defence Minister Bob Dadae had defied a warning and “issued a statement in the Sunday Chronicle on Nov 4 on issues that may be the subject of the appeal pending before the Supreme Court”.
Mr Augerea did not identify the judges nor indicate when the court would convene.
An officer at the registry said the public would be notified in due course.
It is believed that the statement published in the Nov 4 issue of the Sunday Chronicle was the one that Mr Dadae released to the press on Oct 30 in relation to the PNG Defence Force Board of Inquiry into the Moti affair.
The National and Post- Courier carried the press statement on Oct 31.
The next day, Justice Gibbs Salika, who had chaired the inquiry, and some Opposition members, criticised Mr Dadae over his comments.
On Nov 2, Mr Augerea took out an advertisement in The National and Post- Courier to advise the public not to comment on the Moti inquiry any further.
He said Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, Capt Tom Ur and Col Vagi Oala had filed appeals in relation to the inquiry.
“The matter is now subjudice and all issues are under judicial consideration and therefore comments are prohibited,” he warned.
On Nov 4, the Sunday Chronicle published Mr Dadae’s statement in full.
Its editor-in-chief, Sam Vulum, said they had not committed any contempt of court.
He said their lawyers had advised that it was all right to publish the statement despite the registrar’s notice.
He also suggested that Nov 4 was the first opportunity for them to publish the Mr Dadae’s Oct 30 statement as the Sunday Chronicle was a weekly publication.
It is understood that the Sunday Chronicle is printed on Saturdays.