Candidate withdraws bid to halt Hela counting

By DEMAS TIEN
A CASE filed by a candidate contesting the Hela regional seat to stop the counting of 32 ballot boxes has been withdrawn.
Dr Hewali Hamiya, pictured, through Niuage Lawyers, asked the National Court yesterday to withdraw the case because the returning officer for Hela had decided to count the 32 ballot boxes marked as disputed.
Justice Colin Makail ordered that the case be withdrawn and that Hamiya pay the cost of the case.
Hamiya had asked the court to grant interim orders to stop the counting of 19 ballot boxes from the Koroba local level government, and 13 from the Awi-Kagayu LLG in Koroba-Lake Kopiago electorate.
The court heard that there were allegations that polling in the two local level governments were not conducted at the designated polling venues but elsewhere by officers of the electoral commission.
Police managed to secure the 32 boxes and kept them at the Tari police station.
Hamiya had filed the case arguing that the 32 boxes were the subject of a criminal investigation.
The court refused to grant the interim order and advised Hamiya’s lawyer George Lau last Wednesday to take up the grievances to the returning officer by way of an objection to the counting of the boxes in dispute.