Lawyer charged with obstructing the course of justice

The National National

A LAWYER is on a K300 bail after he was charged with obstructing the course of justice.
Lawyer Tony Kawas, of Islands Legal Service in Kokopo, was representing Elias Aros, 47,  and of Sali village in Lihir, Namatanai district, who was facing a false pretence charge.
Aros was released on a K2000 bail. It was alleged that Aros, between May 30 and 31, went to Lihir Business System that act on behalf of the Investment Promotion Authority to register businesses in Lihir, and fraudulently lodged his application by removing the Lihir Maintenance Services Ltd directors and declared himself as the sole company director without consent.
On Sept 8, Aros appeared at the Kokopo District Court for his first mention and his police bail was revoked and he was detained .
He was awaiting his convoy warrant to be escorted back to Lihir.
Lihir police station commander Insp Elizah Taksir said while the fraud squad from Kokopo was in Lihir investigating the complaints and witnesses in Aros’s false pretence case, Kawas approached Taksir and requested the arrest of the complainants.
Taksir advised Kawas that he had no power to do so and that he (Kawas) should let the first case be fully investigated first.
On Sept 27, Kawas walked into the Lihir police station and entered his complaint on behalf of his client in the occurrence book against the complainants and witnesses that had lodged the false pretence report.
Kawas then went and saw the magistrate in Lihir and made an application for the warrant of arrest, which he served on police the next day to arrest the complainants.
However, fraud squad officers invited the lawyer to the police station and explained to him that he was already obstructing police officers to execute their duties and he was arrested and charged.
Since then, the senior magistrate in Kavieng intervened and the arrest warrants were revoked with orders that the current investigation be completed without any interference.
The lawyer is expected to appear before the Lihir District Court soon.