Police lose fraud case against Mori

 By CHARLES MOI

CHUAVE MP Wera Mori was acquitted by a court yesterday of  fraud-related charges brought against him by police.

Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Pinnison Pindipia said the evidence brought by the police prosecution was defective.

Mori, 55, from Togoma village, Chuave, in Chimbu, faced 37 counts relating to charges of false pretence, official corruption and conspiracy to defraud K22 million of public funds.

Mori was alleged to have committed the offences between 2009 and 2010 when his company, Mori Resources Ltd, was awarded a contract to work on the Highlands Highway. 

The prosecution alleged that the contract was illegal and accused Mori of defrauding the State. 

But Pindinipia said there was no evidence to show the contract given to Mori Resources Ltd was illegal. 

Pindipia said the people who took the matter to the police were a third party who lacked the standing to bring the matter to court. 

Pindipia dismissed all the charges and ordered that the bail money be refunded to Mori.  

Mori, through lawyer John Napo, filed an interlocutory application on the grounds that the complainants did not have the standing to bring the case to court. 

Police prosecutions objected to the application, arguing that grounds of the charges were adequate. 

Pindipia ruled that the State owned the money in question and not the complainants.