Bishop faces cyber charge

BY SYLVESTER WEMURU
A CATHOLIC bishop in Alotau is confused why he was arrested and charged with spreading false information under the Cyber-Crimes Act over allegations that police burnt 21 houses at Daga Compound on Monday.
Bishop Rolando Santos told The National that police in Alotau told him that what he had posted on Facebook on Monday about the burning of houses were “all defamatory”.
Santos said he was just posting what he heard from the Milne Bay Catholic education secretary Gregory Nimagale, who had observed that the police officers were under the influence of liquor when they went into his house, ordered his family out and burnt down his house plus 20 others.
Santos said they were called into the police station yesterday, questioned and in the event of questioning police assaulted Nimagale and told him that he had lied to the bishop.
Nimagale said he did not lie but told the truth about when they went into the house.
Santos was charged under the Cyber-Crime Act and Nimagale was charged under the Summary Offences Act with spreading false information. They were released on their Own Recognition (OR) bail under the discretion of the action police commander Insp Andrew Weda and would appear in court tomorrow.
Acting Police Comm David Manning said the assault and insult of the bishop and secretary were serious allegations and an investigation team would be sent to Alotau on Saturday to gather facts on the burning of the houses and other incidents.
“We will not defend unprofessional behaviours nor support the criminal acts by members of the constabulary,” Manning said.
The lawyer for the Catholic Bishop Conference and the president of Catholic professionals, Paul Harricknen, told The National that the arrest of the bishop and the secretary for posting pictures on social media of the burning down of the houses in Alotau reported by police was not right.
Harricknen said the Cyber Code Crimes Act could be tested against the police discretion or indiscretion of arrests for reporting and publishing information that public already knew.
Abraham Piri, who also lost all his properties, said police should be at the crime scene to assess the situation and collect evidence to carry out their investigation. .