Case struck out after lawyer fails to turn up

By ZACHERY PER
GOROKA District Court Magistrate Raphael Apa has raised concern over lawyers failing to turn up in court on time to represent their clients.
He struck out a land and property ownership case on Monday after lawyers representing a plaintiff Kennedy Wemin failed to appear in court.
He said it was not the first time that Wemin’s lawyer had failed to turn up.
He did not show up in court on September 7, forcing Apa to adjourn the matter for the third time to Monday this week.
Apa struck out the case because the plaintiff and his lawyer had showed a lack of interest in the matter.
The case was in regards to the eviction of families living in the Genoka settlement.
The land in question is Section 33 Allotments 8 to 13.
Wemin is the chief executive officer of the Melanesian Trustee Services Limited and director of Carrus Transport Limited.
Spokesman Jonathan Dege representing the families said they could not afford a lawyer so he had to appear on their behalf in court.
Dege claimed that the land and property were given to their parents when they were employed by the Steamships Trading Limited.
The company later closed down its operations in Goroka.
The families  refused to move after being served eviction notices by Wemin.