Ex-MP’s charges cleared

By BOURA GORUKILA
A MAGISTRATE yesterday dismissed three criminal charges against former Goroka MP Bire Kimisopa and discharged him of bail obligations because there was insufficient evidence to make out a prima-facie case.
Magistrate Paul Nii in the Waigani Committal Court ordered that Kimisopa’s bail of K1,500 be refunded.
The charges related to him being chairman of the Goroka development authority and allegedly facilitating a payment of K517,000 between Jan 3 and April 30, 2017, to one of his staff for feasibility studies and submission of project proposals for setting up a university centre at the Kabiufa Adventist Secondary School.
“For the first charge of official corruption, there is insufficient evidence to commit the defendant to stand trial in the National Court as police evidence does not meet all the elements of the charge,” Magistrate Nii said.
“For the second charge of misappropriation, since police evidence does not meet all the elements of the charge, I find that there is insufficient evidence to commit the defendant.
“For the third charge of conspiracy, there is also insufficient evidence because evidence in the police file does not meet the elements of the offence.”
Kimisopa, 57, of Kotiyufa village in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, told The National outside court that he was grateful with the court decisions and thanked God for that.
He said people in public office were accused, challenged and no one was immune to those issues.
“It is important for people like me, then minister for police and justice, to be able to go through the process and see for myself,” Kimisopa said.
“It’s something that needs to be done.
“People have genuine reasons to complain and it’s understandable, but the law is the law and where justice is concerned it’s based on evidence. Today (yesterday), I was vindicated because there was hardly any evidence and I just want to thank my wife and children who stood by me since the proceedings were instituted.”