Governor questions validity of search warrant

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Madang Governor Peter Yama (right) at the Madang Committal Court on Monday. Yama and 15 others are facing corruption and misappropriation charges in relation to the use of K6 million of the Manam Resettlement funds. – Picture supplied

MADANG Governor Peter Yama has questioned the validity of a search warrant that was used to search and arrest the suspects involved in the alleged misuse of public funds.
Yama, through his lawyer, raised this argument before Magistrate Alex Kalandi at the Madang Committal Court on Monday.
Yama and 15 others are facing corruption and misappropriation charges in relation to the use of K6 million of the Manam Resettlement funds.
Yama’s lawyer and the lawyers for the 15 others also argued that the search warrant executed by the police was defective because on Oct 30, 2021, the Madang District Court granted a stay on the warrant restricting police from continuing their investigation.
The lawyers argued that the police had gone ahead to search and arrest them in breached of the order.
However, the police prosecutor told the court that the warrant was produced and executed the day before (Oct 29) the stay had been granted.
He also told the court that they were not able to obtain the other documents from the Madang District Court House and that saw them to file a new case at the Madang National Court to appeal the stay order of the lower court.
Kalandi said the matter relating to the search warrant would be discussed when the court heard the content of the case.
He adjourned the case to today (June 1) for the police prosecutor and the lawyers to provide their affidavits on their arguments.