Records being checked

By LULU MAGINDE
THE National and Supreme Courts Registry has confirmed that it is in the process of going through documents sent from the Electoral Commission (EC).
Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai had said on Tuesday that EC would be sending the full list of candidates contesting the General Election 2022 (GE22) to the Supreme Court, National Court and District Courts, Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Attorney-General’s Office to verify their status and records.
Although registrar Ian Augerea declined to comment, The National was told by his office that it was reviewing the list of candidates sent to them by Sinai.
According to an official at the Supreme Court Registry, Mary Vagi, the list of documents arrived initially to her office on Tuesday morning after which they were delivered to the Office of the Registrar.
Sinai’s hope was to accomplish all this before polling begins on July 4 and with two weeks to go until polling begins, they are racing against the clock to get all the checks done to have candidates with criminal convictions removed to have a free and fair election.
The Supreme Court had ruled on May 31 that persons convicted of any offence and sentenced to more than nine months’ jail from June 25, 2002, were disqualified for life from contesting and running for general elections.

Candidates warned about carrying guns

CANDIDATES in possession of high-powered firearms have no place in the 2022 General Election (GE22), Police Commissioner David Manning says.
He was reacting to how police searched and found a high-powered rifle in a vehicle on the Highlands Highway in Kainantu this week.
The vehicle belonged to a candidate in Eastern Highlands.
Manning said investigations were yet to be finalised.
“Police will be dealing with anyone, whether a sitting or former member of the parliament and aspiring candidate who is in possession of firearms” he said.
Manning warned the public that they would not take the matter lightly but deal with it according to the law.
“If the process of arresting and charging the particular candidate means sitting in jail and waiting for bail during this whole GE22 process than that would happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, police and defence force personnel are working on identifying those with illegal firearms to arrest and charge them.
Earlier this year, Justice and Attorney-General secretary Dr Eric Kwa said people convicted of firearm-related offences were likely to be sentenced to life imprisonment or fined K1 million.

Police equipment to arrive today

A TOTAL of 3,000 ballistic vests and 3,000 helmets at a cost of AU$10.5million (about K25 million) will arrive in Port Moresby today for use by police during the 2022 General Election (GE22) security operations.
Australian High Commissioner Jon Philp said the gear was purchased from the United States to help police ensuring a safe and secure GE22.
He said as Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) were democratic countries that conducted elections in similar manner, sometimes things could get out of hand.

Police unit expect GBV to peak after election

RATES of gender-based violence (GBV) and domestic violence are predicted to peak after the General Election 2022 (GE22), the director of Family and Sexual Violence Unit (FSVU) Superintendent Delilah Sandeka claims.
“We are saying after the elections because that’s when the majority of candidates are made,” she said.
“When they (candidates and their supporters) lose, this kind of stress can be taken out on spouses, girlfriends, partners or family members.”
Sandeka believes that the Electoral Commission (EC) has properly planned the GE22 so that it is gender inclusive and adds that police is in continuous talks with the EC to raise awareness throughout the provinces.
“So we’re working closely with the EC to raise awareness within the provinces to monitor and enforce violence related to GBV so that after the GE22, election-related offences to GBV are reported, monitored and enforced on the ground wherever it happens,” she said.
“Unlike in past elections, there was no proper monitoring system, especially from the side of Government.
“Most of the time we had international observers coming from human rights groups abroad for their own reports and agendas.”
She said GBV cases were expected to increase after the elections, but this was just an assumption and it could increase during the polling.
“In raising awareness early, we’re trying to mitigate the factors that contribute the increase of violence after the election,” she said.