Mechanic asks to change plea after getting lawyer

By GEORGINA KOREI
A DEFENCE lawyer has asked a committal court to allow a 41-year-old man to change his guilty plea on false pretense charges.
He said his client Sagai Zeipi from Suki village in Western had pleaded guilty earlier without a lawyer but after getting legal representation he wanted to change his original plea to not guilty.
Police prosecutor Snr Sergeant Joseph Sangam said the prosecution would agree to an adjournment to give ample to the defence counsel and defendant to return to court.
“In such situation, the court does allow the defendant to plead again with proper instruction before the trial,” he said.
“Whatever the defendant has already pleaded can be set aside and he can give a new plea in the next hearing.”
Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Danny Wakikura adjourned the case to July 22 for trial.
Sangam said there were five witnesses, who were also complainants, and who would be brought before the court during the trial.
Police alleged that in September 2016, Zeipi, a mechanic by profession, was at his house at Gerehu Stage 6 in Port Moresby when Jennifer Iangalio took her Toyota Harrier vehicle for him to fix its gear box.
It was alleged that the vehicle was valued at K45,000.
Zeipi checked the vehicle and confirmed that it would need a new gear box so Iangalio gave him a total of K4,000 between Sept 1, 2016, and Dec 30, 2018, in order for him to buy a new gear box.