Murder suspect not cooperating

By ZEDAIAH KANAU
THE police officer accused of murdering a betel nut vendor at Rainbow in Port Moresby last year has not been cooperating with police, a prosecutor claimed.
But yesterday, after Magistrate Tracy Ganaii adjourned the case of former Const John Selan Lavona to Feb 12, he was taken by the police investigating officer to have his formal record of interview.
Lavona, who is out on a K2,000 bail, was charged with one count of murder in relation to the incident on Sep 16 in which buai vendor Peter Pamben was killed.
Police prosecutor Sgt Joseph Sangam informed the Waigani Committal Court that Lavona had not been showing up for his interviews.
“What’s been happening here is that the records of interviews are yet to be conducted with this defendant,” Sangam said.
“The defendant was not cooperating with police.”
Sangam said it was crucial to get the interviews done so that police could get on with the case and serve Lavona the police file.
Lavona’s lawyer Agnes Peter, from the Public Solicitor’s Office, told the court that it had already gone past the mandatory three-month period allocated for police to finalise investigations.
She said she would be making an application to have the matter struck out if police failed to serve Lavona his files at the next court sitting.
Lavona’s co-accused Andrew Kupuso, 26, from Chambri village, Wosera-Gawi, East Sepik, was also told to return to court on Feb 12.
It was alleged that on Sep 16, last year, the two officers were part of the National Capital District taskforce patrol team that raided the Rainbow Market.
Pamben, from Enga, was chased into the Assemblies of God institution where he allegedly attempted to climb over a fence to escape.
He got trapped on the sharp edges of the iron fence.
Kupuso allegedly approached Pamben and struck him with a softball bat while Lavona allegedly pulled him off the fence, causing injuries that led to his death.