National Court to review decision on UNRE vice-chancellor

UNIVERSITY of Natural Resource Environment (UNRE) Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Issac Pue’s leave application to review Higher Education Minister Wesley Raminai’s decision for revoking him will be heard at the National Court tomorrow.
Raminai, through a national gazette on Feb 15, revoked Pue and appointed Dr Moik Komolong as the UNRE VC.
On Feb 22, Pue through his lawyer Edward Sasingian, obtained an interim stay order on Raminai’s decision which allowed him to remain as the VC pending the matter in court.
The matter went before Acting Judge Emma Wurr at Waigani yesterday for hearing on leave application, however, State lawyer Kevin Kiponge informed the court that he had filed a notice of motion to dismiss the proceeding for want of prosecution and was pending.
Kiponge said his motion was to dismiss the leave application and should be heard before the court grant leave to file a judicial review.
“The notion of motion will be of no use if the leave is granted,” he said.
Sasingian argued that the leave application should be heard first because it was filed before the notice of motion.
He said the notice of motion could be moved after the court granted leave.
Wurr then issued direction for the parties to properly organise whatever application filed in relation to the matter and were pending for hearing before tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the restraining order issued against Raminai to take further action on his decision was extended and Pue still remained as the UNRE VC.