Nape faces bribery charges

By ZACHERY PER
JEFFERY Nape, the Sinasina-Yongomugl MP, faces charges of undue influence and bribery when he appears in the Kundiawa district court after the general election.
Chimbu provincial police commander Supt Augustine Wampe yesterday confirmed that Nape, the speaker in the last parliament, was arrested last Saturday and scheduled to appear in court on Aug 9.
Police acted on a complaint from a candidate against Nape.
“Police have a constitutional duty to attend to complaints from citizens, in this case a candidate vying for Nape’s Sinasina-Yongomugl seat laid a complaint with the police,” Wampe
said.
He said special police investigators attached to the national election investigation team followed up on the complaint and arrested Nape on Saturday in Kundiawa.
Wampe said Nape was released on K2,000 bail.
Police were told that Nape’s team had tried to convince a candidate vying for his seat to withdraw his candidacy.
Police alleged that some money was offered.
But Nape and his supporters denied this saying it was a move by rival candidates to discredit him.
Meanwhile, some National Capital District-based police officers who were allegedly part of Nape’s escort team were interrogated by the police at the Kundiawa police station before they were released.