Court clears minister, cops of criminal charges

By ZACHERY PER
A National Court sitting in Kundiawa, Chimbu, on Friday acquitted Commerce and Industry Minister Wera Mori and two police officers of criminal charges.
The court accepted a nolle proseqi (a declaration by which a civil or criminal prosecution will not proceed) presented by the prosecutor, Joseph Kesan.
Kesan submitted that there was no evidence to pursue the matter so the court acquitted Mori, who is the Chuave MP, former Chimbu police commander Albert Belli and policeman Timothy Simbia.
Police had arrested and charged the trio with stealing files of the Chuave district treasury from a purported police investigation team, official corruption and obstruction.
“The charges were malicious in nature. It was tailored to spoil our reputation. The judiciary is here to do justice to all of us. ,” Mori said.
“I will consider suing them for spoiling our reputation.”
Mori said the case distracted him from concentrating on doing his job.
“What happened was a deliberate move to evade the course of justice, I was mandated to maintain their interest,” Mori said.
“In 2013, an auditor-general’s report found that nearly K3 million was abused or misappropriated and it was recommended that an investigation be conducted.”
Mori said he had the locus standi (legal standing) and wrote to the National Fraud Squad with a copy of auditor-general’s report. An investigation was conducted.
“The National Fraud Squad assigned an investigator David Tololo to do the investigation, but given the financial situation, the district was asked to provide logistical support for the investigation team. It is all about government business and district support,” he said.
Mori said while the investigation was going on, another complaint was laid by his predecessor Jim Nomane.
When the team arrived in Chuave to access district files, they were refused and a scuffle ensued that ended in the trio being arrested.
However, Mori was allegedly not in Chuave when the incident occurred. Simbia and Belli were accused of interfering and arrested.
“It was like a witch-hunt to defame them,” Mori said.
“Now that we are cleared of any wrong doing, I call for the immediate reinstatement of Superintendent Belli to his position as PPC for Chimbu and likewise for Simbia.