Ex-civil servant charged

ANOTHER former senior public servant was charged in the provincial magistrate’s court with locking out West Sepik administrator Conrad Tilau from his office last Dec 8. Magistrate Sasa Inkung read out the charge against Kenny Mayeni, 43, from Nuku’s Uplaki village and fixed next mention on July 6. Mayeni was alleged to have nailed timber on Tilau’s office door in the provincial administration office in Vanimo on Dec 8, obstructing Tilau from carrying out his duties. Mayeni appeared for the first time with his co-accused Linus Wampia and Albert Mutumap.Wampia, 54, from Warapu village in Aitape, and Mutumap, 48, from Miamin village in Telefomin appeared before the court for the second time after initially appearing before the same court last month. They had locked out Tilau accusing him of failing to renew their contracts. They are now out on K500 bail each and will appear again on July 6. Inkung said yesterday that the three were among six divisional directors of the West Sepik administration who had nailed Tilau’s office door over their termination. They suspected that Tilau had deliberately delayed their contract agreement signing and so the due date for their contracts to be submitted to the Personnel Management Department lapsed.  They also called for Tilau to come and address them in public at the administration building’s car park so that the public can know the reason for their termination.