Okapa election petitions set to go on trial in June

THE National Court has ruled that election petitions challenging the result of the Okapa Open seat have sufficiently pleaded their allegations of bribery and will proceed to trial.
Judge Teresa Berrigan when ruling on objection to competency at Waigani said the petition by candidate Simon Kibeto gave enough details of the date, place of the allege bribery, people involved.
The alleged act of bribery was committed with the knowledge or authority of MP Saki Soloma who was a candidate at that time of the offence.
“It is not necessary for a petition alleging bribery to plead the additional matters in Section 215(3) of the organic law unless it is alleged that the bribery was committed by a person other than the candidate and without the candidate’s knowledge or authority,” Judge Berrigan said
“In this case, the petition expressly states that the bribery was committed by person other than the candidate but with the knowledge and authority of Soloma.”
Electoral Commission (EC) and Soloma through their lawyers filed the objection to competency challenging Kibeto’s petition, saying that it had lacked pleadings.
The petition in the case was based on the allegation that on July 22, 2022, a person named Hayes Anne with the knowledge of Soloma committed bribery.
This involved the exchange of K1,000 with two cartons of lamb flaps to another person and told him to vote for Soloma which was contrary to Section 215(3)(a) of the organic law on the national and local level government election.
The matter returns in June for trial.