16-year battle pays off

By KELVIN JOE
A WIDOW has won a 16-year legal battle against the National Housing Corporation (NHC) for illegally selling her property in 2005.
Justice was served when Ellen Bis, from Finschhafen’s Gubu village, Morobe, received her land title from Housing Minister Justin Tkatchenko and NHC managing director Henry Mokono, witnessed by the Ombudsman Commission in Port Moresby yesterday.
Tkatchenko said Ellen had fought and won a lengthy legal battle spanning 16 years because of the corrupt actions of some NHC staff and management.
“This legal battle was the result of NHC staff selling her husband’s property under him for their own personal gain,” he said.
Tkatchenko said it was a common practice in the past where corrupt staff, including former managing directors were selling off properties to individuals for their own personal gain.
He said there were many issues that needed to be cleared due to corrupt practices from the previous staff and management since the 1970s.
Bis thanked the Ombudsman Commission and the current NHC management for ensuring the Lands Department released the land title to her.
Her husband Tingia Bis was working with the Works and Supply under the division of water and sanitation for 10 years from 1977 to 1987 before the division became the PNG Water Board.
Tingia and Ellen moved into Doyle Street, section 36, allotment 30 property in Lae in 1983.
“We fully paid of the property through fortnightly deductions under Government sell-off –scheme and occupied the land and property but waited for the title since 1999,” she said.
The mother of five and grandmother of three said her husband was the victim of a court order to evict him and his family when their property was illegally sold to Richard Wapua.
“My husband suffered a stroke, and was hospitalised in Angau where he passed away in 2011 after the court order to evict him as illegal tenant.”
She flew over from Lae last week after receiving a call from the National Housing Corporation that her land and property title was ready to be given to her.
According to the NHC, the issuing of her title was an early Christmas gift, after years of fighting for it in court.
The department also met her travel expenses.