Bishops’s case adjourned after lawyer disqualifies herself

THE Alotau District Court adjourned the court case involving Alotau Diocese Bishop Rolando Santos and acting Catholic education secretary Gregory Nimagale to Sept 30 after a mention yesterday.
The case was heard and adjourned by the Alotau District Court Magistrate Otto Avorosi after senior provincial magistrate Patricia Tivese disqualified herself because she knew the bishop.
Bishop Santos said he was arrested and charged for allegedly committing a cyber-crime which the police claimed involved using Facebook to defame them. He said the post that the police showed him was not what he had put on Facebook and he had only emailed it to some people but it had ended up with the police.
Nimagale was arrested and charged under the Summary Offences Act for spreading false information.
Nimagale said he was concerned about the way innocent people had been treated by Alotau police.
Nimagale and Santos were arrested on Wednesday but later released on bail.