Justice delayed is justice denied, court told

National

By TONY PALME
A POLICE officer in Mt Hagen says the courts have been slow deciding on cases.
The arresting officer at Mt Hagen police station, Senior Sergeant Patrick
Tonwingo, said that when the courts were slow to make decisions, justice was
denied to both the complainants and defendants.
He was referring to a murder case from 2014 that was brought before the National Court in 2015.
Two years later, the case is still waiting for the court to decide on how to proceed.
The case was handled by Public Prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin in the National Court in Mt Hagen.
It involved the death of a policeman at Wara Kum, Mt Hagen, in Dec 2014.
The two people accused of the murder of the policeman are at Baisu jail. Tonwingo urged the court to fast-track the proceedings.
“Kaluwin had sought orders to return a verdict of guilty on the indictment but to date nothing has been done,” Tonwingo said. “The policeman, the late Allan Anai, was killed in the line of duty.
“The accused, Enock Kondua and Ari Kondua, are still waiting at Baisu for the court to make a decision.
“I think the delay by the court in making a decision on this matter is denying justice for the deceased and the two accused as well,” Towingo said.
“The trial was completed in 2015 and I don’t know why the court is yet to make a decision.”