Official’s case struck out

National

A MAGISTRATE has ruled that suspended managing director for the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), Ruel Yamuna, be discharged from the charge of abuse of office.
Magistrate Tracy Ganaii, at the Waigani Committal Court yesterday, upheld Yamuna’s submissions, through his lawyer Edward Sasingian, and ordered that his bail money of K1,000 be refunded.
Magistrate Ganaii said Sasingian filed a motion seeking sufficiently elements of the charge of abuse of office.
The charge stemmed from an allegation that Yamuna, while under suspension by the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Wera Mori, resumed office on Dec 1, 2020.
Yamuna’s actions at the time were deemed to have been prejudicial to the rights of the acting managing director Jacob Ekinye, who was said to be prevented from exercising his duties as appointed by the minister.
Yamuna, when asked to comment about the dismissal of the charge, welcomed the swift handing down of the decision.
“Unfortunately, my integrity and reputation has been questioned given the negative publicity but I intend to put this behind me and to move forward working under the leadership of Minister Mori,” he said.