Official corruption trial

By BOURA GORUKILA
AN alleged promise of a security contract from an intending candidate and the possible payoff money for election officials were evidence offered by the prosecution during the trial of two senior election officials in the National Court yesterday.
Police investigator Snr Const Smith Morika gave evidence in the trial of former electoral commissioner Patilias Gamato and National Capital District election manager Terence Hetinu heard by Justice Teresa Berrigan in Waigani, Port Moresby, yesterday.
Hetinu and Gamato were committed to stand trial to answer to allegations of official corruption involving K184,300 in alleged bribe money and conspiracy to defraud committed during the 2017 national elections.
Morika said on the morning of June 27, 2017, his unit had received a police radio alert that Hetinu was carrying a large amount of cash and allegedly bribing polling officials to support an intending candidate for the NCD regional seat.
He said Hetinu was arrested in East Boroko and was attacked by a group of angry polling officials and by-standers as policemen led him to a car to be taken to the Boroko Police Station.
Under the then NCD and Central commander and assistant commissioner of police Sylvester Kalaut, police officers found two bags in Hetinu’s vehicle, one, a black backpack, containing the cash and the other, a shopping bag, containing polling papers.
Morika said some documents were also found in a form of a memorandum of agreement stating that Hetinu would be rewarded with a security contract from the NCD Commission if he helped candidate Michael Kandiu to win the regional seat.
“The documents containing 10 pages were signed by Hetinu, Kandiu and another person, Willie Winston,” he said.
Morika said the cash and documents were noted and photographed by forensic officers.
He said the money was stored in the evidence safe at the station and the documents taken by NCD fraud officers and Hetinu was interviewed.
Morika said Hetinu admitted the money was given to him by Gamato but that he did not know where it had come from.
He said Hetinu had denied knowledge of the documents that had his signature even though the Police Forensic Science office had confirmed that his signature was on them.
Hetinu’s interview led to the arrest of Gamato.
More witnesses will be called to give evidence in the case.