Another officer held over Tatana killing

ANOTHER police officer has been detained over last year’s killing of a Tatana villager in the National Capital District, assistant Police Commissioner (Crimes) Victor Isouve says.
He said the officer – the fifth among those charged – was also wanted for allegedly killing a mother and her daughter during a car chase near Vision City in Port Moresby in 2014.
“He has been charged with one count of wilful murder for the death of Salle Naime and has been refused bail,” Isouve told The National yesterday.
“I have refused him bail because he was on bail after being charged with the wilful murder of a mother and her daughter when he was involved in the killing of Naime at Tatana village on Jan 17, 2015.”
Isouve said the officer had gone to Tatana village with a police unit to arrest Naime following the killing of former journalist Harold Farapo.
Police alleged that Naime killed Farapo, then employed as an executive of the Kikori Pipeline Landowners’ Association a week earlier at Tatana.
Four other officers have been charged over the alleged killing of Naime.
Sergeant Philip Pokop, 40, from Manus, Constable Ian Gunawi, 30, from East Sepik, Lawrence Sausa from Manus and Chief Inspector Maria Johns have appeared in the committal court.
The court will decide on Sep 2 whether to commit Pokop, Gunawi and Sausa for trial.
Pokop is also appearing before the same court with another count of wilful murder of another man at Hohola in 2010.
He is also appearing for the attempted murder of Fraud Squad detective Sergeant Patrick Premenga at the Games Village barracks on Oct 19, 2014.
Premenga was preparing to serve contempt charges on then police commissioner Geoffrey Vaki, acting deputy commissioner for operation Jim Andrews and outgoing NCD-Central commander Jerry Frank and other officers.
Vaki, Andrews, Frank and other officers were alleged to have interfered with the execution of the warrant of arrest on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.