Misappropriation case before court

By AILEEN KWARAGU
MADANG provincial administrator Frank Lau was arrested and charged with misappropriation and abuse of office last month.
Lau’s lawyer Bradley Wak said the charges were in relation to K3 million belonging to the Madang provincial government that was used to fund the province’s General Election 2022.
He said the matter was before a committal process and Lau would appear in court for his second mention on Dec 2.
“Lau was arrested on Oct 13 and appeared in the Madang District Court on Oct 31 where he was arraigned,” Wak said,
“The matter is in the committal process and we are waiting for police to serve the file within the three-month required period.”
He said presently Lau was performing normal duties in his position and was still provincial administrator.
“There was no directions from the National Executive Council to sideline Lau and he has been in office,” he said,
“Lau is still the provincial administrator and will continue his normal duties.”
Meanwhile, Lau assured the people of Madang that the case was before the court but would not affect the administration. He said the people needed to continue to cooperate and work with him as he was still their provincial administrator.
“As long as the case is before the court, I will still perform my duties as the provincial administrator and people should cooperate,” Lau said.