Court stays Namah’s tribunal

 THE tribunal inquiry for Vanimo-Green MP Belden Namah has been stayed by the National Court to await the Supreme Court reference on a constitutional issue on the appointment of the tribunal by Sir Salamo Injia.

Acting Judge Danajo Koeget handed down the ruling last Friday following submissions from Namah’s lawyer Greg Shepherd and the lawyer representing the public prosecutor Laias Kandi.

Koeget said the constitutional issue regarding the appointment of the Tribunal by Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia had been referred for interpretation by the Supreme Court. He said the stay application stemmed from the National Court decision to refer the issue for Supreme Court’s interpretation.

He said Sir Injia was a subject in one allegation against Namah but he had appointed the Tribunal to inquire into all the allegations.

Shepherd had asked the court to stay the tribunal pending the Supreme Court hearing.

Kandi said the tribunal should not be stayed because Sir Injia was a subject in one of the 10 allegations. The other 9 allegations did not concern Injia.