Court fines man K10,000

A COMMITTAL Court in Waigani last Friday ordered a man to pay a K10,000 fine after finding him guilty of fisheries offences in the National Capital District on June 22.
Moses Pinai will pay the fine for buying and benefiting from the banned beche-de-mer products.
He was fined K2,000 for each of his five fisheries offences and the court has given him six weeks to pay up.
The National Fisheries Authority imposed a nationwide ban on the harvesting of beche- de-mer for three years in 2009 which will be lifted in October. Harvesting, transporting, possessing or selling beche de mer during the banned period are criminal offences under Section (58) of the National Fisheries Management Act, and carries a fine of K100,000 for individuals and K1 million for companies or organisations.
Pinai was charged with five offences under the act for buying beche-de-mer products, being in possession of beche-de-mer products, transporting beche-de-mer products, buying shark fins and trochus shells and storing beche de mer, shark fins and trochus shells without a licence.
The court found that Pinai had other similar previous fisheries cases pending against him and magistrate Cosmas Bidar said he would arrange for his pending cases to be heard.
Bidar made the following consequential orders:
l    The beche-de-mer products be forfeited to the NFA;
l    The accused’s vehicle be returned to him;
l    Pinai’s Bank South Pacific frozen account be up-lifted and a save card be returned to the accused; and
l    Bail of K2,500 be refunded.
Bidar did not rule on costs.