Legal adviser Tavatuna loses bid to have case deferred

The National National

DEPARTMENT of Agriculture and Livestock’s (DAL) legal adviser Francis Tavatuna has lost a bid to have his court case in Port Moresby adjourned while he deals with another case in the High Court.
Tavatuna made the application in the Committal Court in Waigani, but Magistrate Cosmas Bidar ruled against it on Friday, saying there was no evidence to support the application.
Bidar ruled that there was no evidence shown in his submission. Tavatuna faces a charge of obtaining employment by means of false pretence in which he is accused of providing to the DAL a CV that was not accurate.
Tavatuna filed an application in the Committal Court in Waigani on July 17 seeking among other things:

  • That the case against him be adjourned or stayed until the end of another case in which he is being sued by former DAL secretary Dr Vele Pat Ila’ava in the National Court;
  • That the search warrant dated June 20 be set aside and the police return the laptop and court files taken from his office.

Prosecuting, police constable Shellian Pius said:

  • There was no evidence to stop the police from conducting further investigations into the matter;
  • The proceedings at the National Court which Tavatuna was being sued by former DAL secretary Dr Vele Pat Ila’ava was a matter different from the criminal allegations against him;
  • There was no copy of the original writ of summons filed by Dr Ila’ava attached to the submission and Tavatuna only attached a defence and cross claim filed against Dr Ila’ava’s writ of summons;
  • The items confiscated by the police from Tavatuna forms part of the police investigations and therefore he was not entitled to have them back just yet; and
  • The information in the submission was misleading.