Namah’s review bid adjourned

A COURT will hear an application filed by suspended Vanimo Green MP Belden Namah to review the decision of the Leadership Tribunal that resulted in his suspension as an MP.
Justice Oagile Key Dingake adjourned the application to be heard on July 2 at the National Court in Waigani.
The adjournment took place yesterday after the judge learnt that certain pages of the transcript from the leadership tribunal from Nov 7 to Nov 10, last year, were not included in the originating summons for the judicial review by Namah against Leadership Tribunal members.
Namah’s lawyer Greg Sheppard said that some pages of the transcript from Nov 7 to Nov 10 were considered irrelevant and were not included in the whole application for review.
Justice Dingake told Sheppard that the record of the leadership tribunal was not complete and the court was entitled to see all the documents. “I need to be sure that I am reading the entire record to satisfy myself. Now I am faced with a situation that the record is incomplete,” he said.
He said the court did not act merely on what the lawyer submitted but it needed to verify what was submitted as well from the original transcript.
Namah is challenging that he was not given an opportunity through his lawyers to make submissions on his penalty after
the verdict by the Leadership Tribunal.
The State lawyer submitted that the applicants should include full copies of the transcript that was subject to review application.
Justice Dingake ordered the applicant’s lawyers to serve the copies of the completed transcripts to the parties representing the Leadership Tribunal members and the Solicitor-General’s Office for clarity.
The matter returns to court on July 2 for hearing.