Khay: Set aside three boxes

 LAE Lord Mayor James Khay has urged election authorities to put aside three ballot boxes in Ward 6, West Taraka, in Lae.

Khay said on Tuesday that there were alleged bribery and nepotism at three polling places, including West Taraka Market (Box 46), Gantom Primary (Box 47) and St Francis Vocational School (Box 48).

He urged Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen and Morobe provincial electoral manager Simon Sinai to put these boxes aside pending investigation.

He claimed that from those three boxes, one candidate had 495 out of 500 ballot papers in his favour in each box. The remaining five ballot papers from each box were cast for other candidates. 

Khay said it looked suspicious.

“This is unbecoming and had never happened in Morobe. It is the first of its kind in Lae,” he said. 

“My scrutineers witnessed events unfolded but feared for their lives to stop the polling.”

Khay is on 2,587 while Koim Trilue Leahy leads with 3,919.

But Ward 6 councillor Peter Wagu and Leahy in a joint statement dismissed Khay’s allegations as false and misleading.