Court sets April 18 for Mori’s corruption case to be heard

By MELYNE BAROI
WAIGANI Committal Court Magistrate Danny Wakikura will be hearing from police on allegations of abuse of office and conspiracy against former Chuave MP Wera Mori, in April.
Magistrate Wakikura said this yesterday after police prosecutor Senior Sgt Peter Samghy said police reports were yet to be filed at the court registry.
Samghy said that he would need two weeks to bind the files.However, Mori through his lawyer Natasha Yombu suggested April.
“Mr Mori will be involved in an election petition trial during the months of February to April,” she said.
Police alleged that between April 10 and 17, 2018, Mori while Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry through an old and defective legislation sacked the then chairman of the Securities Commission of Papua New Guinea Christopher Hnanguie and appointed Alex Tongayu.
It was further alleged that Tongayu through that signed appointment became the registrar of companies for Investment and Promotion Authority (IPA).
In doing so, Mori abused his powers and corrupted the authority of his office.
It was noted that Mori and his first secretary Larsak Joseph wrote a formal letter to Hnanguie advising him of his revocation. Tongayu’s appointment was published in a National Gazzette on April 17.
On the same day Joseph sent a letter to the then IPA managing director advising him of this change.
The process was deemed defective as the appointment was done using the Securities Act of 1997 which was repealed and replaced with a new one in 2015.
It was also noted that Mori had skipped the first legislative council and directed the appointment instrument straight to the government printers and ignored this fundamental requirement.
Mori then called a meeting in October and addressed the defective appointment and Tongayu was appointed acting chairman of the Securities Commission of PNG in November.
Police said Mori’s actions showed criminal intent and behaviour.
The matter returns for a hearing on April 18.
He was arrested in last October but released on a K2,000 bail.