Change magistrate: Cop
Police prosecution in the case of PNG Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato has filed a motion in the Waigani Committal Court requesting that it be heard by another magistrate.
Police prosecutor Sgt John Wamugl submitted to Magistrate Ernest Wilmot that the case be transferred to another magistrate because they needed time to prepare submissions on evidence.
Sgt Wamugl made the submission after Magistrate Wilmot refused on Friday their request for a month’s adjournment because the prosecutor in-charge of the matter was away for training.
He said the prosecution had written a letter to the chief magistrate making the request.
The case was of national interest.
Sgt Wamugl submitted that since the matter was still up for mention and not for a ruling, another court could preside over the matter.
“This is not a ruling matter.
“It is a process where submissions and oral submissions are filed and then the court will make a ruling,” he said.
Gamato’s lawyer Jason Kolo objected to the motion, saying that it was misconceived and showed the prosecution’s lack of preparation and due diligence.
‘The police prosecution is an office of the state and it is incumbent on the office to make some administrative rearrangements for any other officer to take over this matter,” Kolo said.
Kolo submitted that Magistrate Wilmot had been presiding over the case from day one and had the jurisdiction to continue on with the matter which would be up for submissions.
7 comments
showed the prosecution’s lack of preparation and due diligence.
Police detectives and prosecutors are incompetent and just lazy to get off their assess and do a proper job on investigating cases – they turn up at the courts unprepared, and give a lot of lame excuses to give them more time to investigate, then the courts throw out their cases. Their superiors are no better then them – they blindly condone and embrace the incompetence and laziness of their subordinate police detectives/prosecutors. What a waste of my tax paying for people who don’t deserve to be paid for doing incompetent and lazy job!!
Gamato’s lawyer has a point to make revealing police detectives/prosecutors lack preparedness and due diligence in administering the case.
They want money even it’s part of their job description. Moni pes lain stret.
Too much beer over the weekends and after hours, only to come up with excuses, not the 1st time, always happens in every court rooms through out the country.
Justice delayed and Justice denied..!!
Changing the cop would be the way forward. Give the job to better cops who are seasoned detectives and are used to handling such cases diligently. Recruit Grade 12 with B averages for detectives training.
PNG is truly the land of unexoected. No one can do a good honest job. Policemen and women including prosecutors are all corrupt. One must give money before they attend to your case good or bad these days. This country lacks good political and administrative leaderships.
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