Official on fraud-related charges acquited

By BOURA GORUKILA
ACTING Chief Migration Officer Robert Kennedy was discharged of official corruption and abuse of office charges by Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Tracy Ganaii on Friday.
Ganaii also ruled that his bail money of K2,000 be refunded after finding that there was insufficient evidence to commit him to trial in the National Court.
She said the ruling was on whether or not a prima-facie case had been made out within the meaning of section 95(1) of the District Courts Act after the court had received all the evidence filed by the prosecution in the police hand-up brief.
“After going through two witness statements by Teddy Tasion and Ryan Semi Oli that the police relied on, I am of the view that there is no direct evidence in relation to identification,” Ganaii said.
“Kennedy was identified not in person but through mobile phone and according to Digicel, the number that was used to send text messages was not registered under any person.
“Police may have relied on voice identification but the evidence is unreliable because they haven’t met him, nor have they heard him speak.
“The evidence is circumstantial and unreliable because police failed to identify Kennedy as the owner and user of the phone number used to text Tasion.”
Ganaii said police had to be on alert on scam activities.
“There are a lot of scam artists using people’s names, especially government officials, to scam others and Kennedy’s case is supported by evidence from Digicel that the number is unregistered and was used by an unknown person twice to text prominent government officials for financial assistance,” she said.
Kennedy was arrested after a complaint was laid by Tasion on Dec 18 last year where he alleged that Kennedy texted him on Dec 16 requesting him to give K5,000 in order to facilitate payments owed to the Tasion Group of companies.
It was alleged that Kennedy had asked for the K5,000 to repatriate his mother-in-law to Wabag and that the money could be sent through SMK at Boroko Foodworld Post Office to the Vision City Post Office.
Kenney said the case had tarnished his reputation.