Court grants acting MD leave

By BARBARA DERUAGE
A COURT has granted leave to National Airports Corporation acting managing director Ephraim Wasem to include him as an aggrieved party by a court order issued on Oct 1 in favour of suspended NAC managing director Richard Yopo.
Wasem made the urgent application on Monday after Yopo, using a court order by Magistrate Cosmas Bidar in the Waigani District Court on Oct 1, went with police officers and forcefully took over the office of the managing director informing staff that he had been reinstated on Oct 9.
Yopo’s actions followed after the District Court granted orders sought from an application he made on Sept 30 seeking to set aside a search warrant and to return seized items by National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate (NFACD) director Chief Supt Matthew Damaru.
The order issued by the court on Oct 1 was to restrain Damaru, NFACD members, police officers, Wasem and others involved in the matter from interfering with Yopo in carrying out his duties as managing director further restraining them from entering the office of the managing director, general manager finance, the company secretary, the legal officers and the NAC’s other office premises pending a hearing and outcome of Yopo’s Sept 30 application.
Wasem’s lawyer Dakan Doiwa of Makap Lawyers, told the court that Wasem needed to be part of the proceedings between Damaru and Yopo because, although he was not a party, he was affected by the Oct 1 court order because he was removed from his position as the legitimate appointed acting managing director.
Bidar said he was surprised to see that the orders granted were substantive in nature.
He added that the orders were not made by his court and were questionable.