Court stays Vele’s case

National
Source:
The National,Monday June 27th, 2016

  By DEMAS TIEN
Criminal proceedings against the Treasury secretary Dairi Vele in the Waigani Committal Court have been stayed pending a contempt proceeding in the National Court.
Vele was charged with official corruption in relation to the purchase of the two generators from an Israeli company in 2014.
The proceedings were stayed pending a contempt proceeding against  Police commissioner Gari Baki in the National Court.
Vele’s lawyer Tiffany Twivey moved the stay application last Wednesday before Magistrate Cosmas Bidar.
Twivey said after the application to set aside the warrant of arrest against Vele and the subsequent stay of the proceeding, Baki ordered an  investigation into various aspects of the work of the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate and the work of detective Chief Superintendent Mathew Damaru and detective Chief Inspector Timothy Gitua, including the work done in the case against Vele.
She said the investigation was conducted because the fraud squad was not following due process and protocol and had been operating outside the established chain of command.