Man to stand trial for armed robbery, other charges quashed

A MAN freed from murder and armed robbery charges in the Waigani Committal Court last week, was committed to a trial for an alleged separate armed robbery by the same court.
Sufficient evidence against Martin Kageni, 33, of Northern, will see him face trial in the Waigani National Court for alleged armed robbery of Ela Beach store Seven Day Ltd in Port Moresby in December last year.
The ruling was made by Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Cosmas Bidar on Thursday after he discharged Kageni on murder and armed robbery charges related to the high-profile Fortune Club case. The Ela Beach matter will return to court on Nov 14.
Kageni, from Kokoda, and some others were allegedly armed with guns when they entered the Ela Beach store on Dec 20 last year and took an undisclosed amount of money and phone cards (flex and topkad).
CCTV showed that Kageni was present in the robbery and armed with a factory-made firearm, the court heard.
Kageni, in custody, had been charged with murder and armed robbery in relation to the daring Fortune Club case in which the owner of the club was killed and K35,000 stolen.
However, before giving the ruling on the Ela Beach case, Bidar discharged him (Kageni) from the Fortune Club case.
Bidar said eyewitnesses’ statement regarding the robbery and killing of the Fortune Club owner didn’t identify the suspect (Kageni) directly.
“Almost all the eyewitnesses in their statements could not identify who was involved,” he said.