Salika rejects review claim

 By ADRIAN MATHIAS

THE Supreme Court has rejected an application by former Yangoru-Sausia MP Peter Wararu Waranaka to review the National Court’s dismissal of his election petition.

Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika ruled last Friday that Waranaka had not raised serious issues in law and fact to support his application for the review in the higher court.

“I do not find any error committed by the trial judge in his decision to dismiss the petition,” Salika said.

Waranaka asked the Supreme Court to review the decision by the Court of Disputed Returns in Wewak, East Sepik, which dismissed his petition against MP Richard Maru.

Waranaka had alleged flaws in the way officers of the Electoral Commission had conducted polling.

He also alleged that Maru, now the Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, did not resign as the managing director of the National Development Bank before standing for election in the Yangoru-Sausia electorate.  

Salika however said although there could have been procedural errors committed by the officers of the commission, he did not think they affected the election result.

Salika said the applicant “must have good grounds such as a serious point of law or in facts.”