Court allows Schram to leave the country

By DAPHNE WANI
THE Waigani National Court has allowed former University of Technology vice-chancellor Dr Albert Schram, pictured, to travel to Italy.
Justice Panuel Mogish ordered Schram’s passport and travel documents returned to him so that he could leave the country to collect documents that were the subject of an ongoing police investigation and prove his innocence.
Justice Mogish, in his ruling yesterday, said the onus was now on Schram to prove his innocence because of police inability to get the primary evidence from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, regarding his qualification.
“This cannot be right,” the judge said.
“I hope sanity will prevail in this case.
“The present university (Unitech) council has come to its senses. It has washed its hands clean from all criminal allegations against the applicant.
“Obviously the council would have received legal advice from their lawyers to put the matter to rest and move on with their lives. They are no longer interested in the applicant’s doctorate degree.
“His employment as vice-chancellor has been terminated. This is most unfortunate given the trauma the applicant had to go through since 2011 to defend the allegations.”
Justice Mogish said the applicant was entitled to constitutional protection “but the situation has gone far out of control where he is being forced to prove his innocence”. Schram was charged with false pretence on
May 7.
The police alleged that he pretended to hold a PhD degree from the European University Instituteon Nov 24, 1994.
Justice Mogish ordered that the bail conditions imposed by the Waigani Committal Court on May 10 be varied and the applicant leave the country and return before June 12.
Schram was also ordered to pay an additional cash bail of K8000 to his present bail of K2000.
His two guarantors will each pay a sum of K10,000 each and if in the event that he does not return to the country, the court will forfeit his bail.
The court also heard that Schram’s tourist visa expired on May 31 and he must exit the country before the date or face prosecution under the Migration Act.