Court gives leader 10 days to find lawyer

 WABAG Magistrate Sakarao Wiyalu has given a Local Level Government president 10 days to find a lawyer to represent him in court in an election petition case.

Wiyalu told newly-elected Kompiam LLG president Joe Naiyap Leambo that it was his responsibility to engage a lawyer.

Leambo who was representing himself in court argued that he was not served the petition in person and that the Electoral Commission’s deadline to serve petitions lapsed last Friday.

But lawyer Vero Thomson, representing petitioner Ngee Londokai, told the court that because Leambo could not be served personally, they had to publish the petition in a newspaper.

Wiyalu told Leambo that a petition could be served through the media.

“Once a petition is published, it has become a public information so it is legal,” he said.

Wiyalu told both parties to get all legal documents filed by Oct 25.

Wiyalu said the hearing would be on Dec 3.