Salika: Settle dispute

By GIDEON KINDIWA
THE Supreme Court has ordered two landowner groups disputing over rights to royalty payments from New Britain Palm Oil Ltd to go home and determine ownership before coming to court.
Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika told the Mami and Mararea ILGs to go back to Kimbe and get an order from the local or provincial land court before he can hear them.
“The root of the problem is ownership of the land,” he said.
“You should all go back and conduct a mediation between yourselves and find out who the true land owners are.
“Go to the local or provincial land court and get an order stating that these persons or clans are the landowners.”
Mami ILG has been deregistered and was transferred to Mararea.
The piece of land was then leased to the State under special agricultural business leases (SABLs).
The executives of Mami went to court after finding out that royalty payments and rentals from New Britain Palm Oil has been paid to Mararea and they were excluded since their ILG was no longer existent.
Lawyer representing the Mami executives, Emmanuel Isaac told the court the local and provincial land courts do not have jurisdiction to order proof of ownership because the land has already been converted.
“That’s why we’re asking this court to stay the National Court proceedings.”
Sir Gibbs ordered a stay of the National Court proceedings and ordered the parties to go back and mediate and identify the landowners first.