Judge eyes more funds for judiciary

CHIEF Justice Sir Salamo Injia is hopeful the Government will allocate a “good chunk” of next year’s budget to improve government infrastructure for the judiciary nationwide.
Sir Salamo is particularly keen to see the construction of the Kokopo court complex get off the ground.  It is one the judiciary’s major contracts and will cost about K70 million.
Sir Salamo was speaking during the funeral service for the late Justice Salatiel Lenalia last Friday in Kokopo.
The late judge was very instrumental in pushing for the project.
“The national government has not been very keen in developing some of the major government infrastructure for the judiciary nationwide but I am hopeful that the late judge’s dreams will be realised next year when Government gives a good chunk of the budget that we will be asking for,” Sir Salamo said.
“This is the first major regional court complex in the country that we will build that the late Justice Lenalia put his heart into it and I have also put my heart into it.”
Sir Salamo said other regions would take second place but this project in ENB has been a long time coming.
“My only request though is if the local members of Parliament for ENB and NGI can play a little part in persuading Government to give the money, it will go a long way.”
Sir Salamo said PNG had only 39 judges serving over eight million people and it was not easy to be called to become a judge.
He said New Zealand for example, had half the population of PNG but had 150 to 175 judges while PNG had only 39 and Lenalia was one of them.
Sir Salamo said at the time of his passing, Lenalia was the seventh high-ranking judge in Papua New Guinea.
“The seniority of judges in Papua New Guinea is determined by the date of the judges’ appointment.”