Magistrate orders commission to produce documents

 A MAGISTRATE yesterday gave the Electoral Commission seven days to produce election documents needed by a petitioner for his case.

Lae district court magistrate Martin Ipang told commission lawyer Harvey Nii to give election petitioner James Khay the electoral rolls for ward 6 in the Lae urban local level government, EC Forms 66 (a) and (b), and the presiding officers’ journals.

Khay, the former Lae mayor, is challenging the win by his successor Koim Trilu during the recent local level government election on the grounds of “undue influence and illegal practices”.

The journal is a diary kept by presiding officers at a polling booth and records voter tally, dates, timings and general observation of the voting atmosphere.

The EC Form 66 (a) contains information about first preferences votes. Form 66(b) contains information about the elimination process. 

Ipang directed the commission to do this after it failed to produce the documents as it was directed to do by the same court on Oct 9. 

“You must give copies of the said documents to the petitioner’s lawyer,” Ipang told Nii. 

Nii told the court that the Commission’s officials were working on the documents and they would be provided within the specified time. 

He had notified Khay’s lawyer about the delay. 

Trilu’s lawyer Kenneth Asi, of Manase Lawyers, asked the court to give him time to file an objection to the competency of Khay’s petition.

Ipang said all parties who had objections must file them within 14 days. 

Ipang adjourned the matter to Nov 7.