Judge orders woman remanded

By JACOB POK
A WAIGANI National Court judge yesterday ordered a former secretary of the Southern Highlands provincial executive council out on bail to be remanded in Bomana prison after she failed to turn up in court.
Sandy Senar, 39, of Jiwaka’s Gapnal village, in Minj, was re-arrested and brought to court after she failed twice to appear in her misappropriation case involving more than K900,000 that she al­legedly misused between 2003 and 2007 while employed as the council secretary.
Senar was committed to stand trial at the National Court on July 5 last year but failed to appear on the date her matter was set to be heard.
Following her second failure to attend court while on bail, a bench warrant was issued for her arrest.
She was rearrested last Wednesday and locked up at the Boroko cell and was taken by police to court yesterday morning.
Justice Panuel Mogish was not pleased with Senar ignoring her court dates while out on bail and facing a serious charge.
He told Senar in Tok Pisin that she had failed to turn up in court twice while on bail and a bench warrant had been issued for her arrest.
She told the court it was her first time to appear in a court proceeding and she was unaware of court procedures.
Mogish said being a first-time offender was a common excuse many offenders used after to abide by the court instructions.
He told Senar that regardless of whether was the first time a court proceeding had to be attended.
Mogish ordered Senar be locked up at the Bo­mana prison pending an appearance  date.
He told her to seek a lawyer to make a fresh bail application if she wished.
Senar faces 13 counts of misappropriation charges for putting to her own use K952,531 be­longing to the Southern Highlands provincial go­vernment.
She dishonestly raised several claims between 2003 and 2007 during the term of then Southern Highlands governor Ha­mi Yawari, and used the monies while holding a senior public servant’s position.