Court fines lawyer K1,000 for contempt

 The Waigani National Court has ordered lawyer Michael Efi to pay a K1,000 fine by March 13 for contempt of court or serve a month in jail. 

In an eight-page judgment, Justice Catherine Davani said Efi’s actions were a clear demonstration of contempt and “disrespect” to the court after he failed to comply with directions to appear in a court case last month. 

“The orders of this court are a reflection of the court’s abhorrence of conduct displayed by the contemnor (Efi) with the hope that it will deter other counsels from such conducts,” Davani said. 

“Although the orders of this court are reflection of the court’s consideration of both the mitigating and aggravating factors, that the contemnor’s (Efi) behaviour and response to the court’s directions no doubt are demonstration of his refusal to comply. It is clearly apparent that the contemnor does not appreciate that a court’s direction must be complied with regardless of the surrounding circumstance.”

The incident occurred on Jan 23 when Efi failed to appear in court to represent the Ombudsman Commission, which was named as defendant in a case involving Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. O’Neill had filed an urgent application that sought various restraining orders and constitutional questions for the Supreme Court’s interpretation.