Police files on drug case served

By BOURA GORUKILA
POLICE file for an Australian pilot, an Italian yacht owner and three Papua New Guineans facing drug trafficking charges following the country’s biggest drug bust last year were finally served on them last Thursday.
Prosecutor Boas Binuali said each file contained more than 900 pages.
Central Committal Court magistrate Alex Kalandi adjourned the cases and remanded Australian pilot David John Cutmore, Italian yacht owner Carlo D’Attanasio and Papua New Guineans Dominic Terupo and Morgan Mogu.
Another Papua New Guinean, Shane Dikana has his National Court bail extended.
Cutmore returns to court today for a ruling on two other charges under the Civil Aviation Act.
He will also inform court how much time he would need to file his submissions on sufficiency of evidence since his hand-up brief was served to his lawyer outside court because she came late.
D’Attanasio, represented by Nutley Lawyers, will return to court on May 6 for submissions.
Terupo and Morgan will return to court on April 15 to inform the court if they have found a lawyer to represent them and how much time they would need to file their submissions.
Dikana, who is represented by Kamen Lawyers, also returns on April 15 to confirm additional information against him that was misplaced by the court clerk.
Magistrate Kalandi told his lawyer to check with the clerk and get it sorted.
His lawyer will then inform court how much time he would need to file submissions.
The Papua New Guineans were jointly charged while Cutmore and D’Attanasio are charged separately.
The drug bust was made last July 26 at Papa-Lealea when a twin-engine Cessna 402C operated by Cutmore crashed while taking off with more than 600kg of cocaine.