SDA pastor freed of charge

By BEVERLY PETER
A Committal Court in Waigani has struck out a false pretense charge against a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church pastor due to lack of a police file.
Pastor Acks Samuel, 38, of Ragiapun village in Markham, Morobe, was charged for allegedly pretending to hire a car to sell to another man in Port Moresby last year.
Presiding magistrate Paul Puri Nii yesterday struck out the case following Samuel’s application.
Samuel said his case should be struck out because the police had failed to provide evidence.
Magistrate Nii said since the date of the arrest last Aug 24 until now, the police had not produced their evidence to prove the allegations.
“Defendants’ rights under Section 37 of the Constitution were breached when evidence was not brought to the attention of the court and thus, information is struck out,” he said.
Police alleged that between 7pm and 8pm last June 28, Samuel and his accomplice at Gerehu Stage One hired Ray Naup’s (complainant) car with a deposit payment of K300 for one-day hire but were robbed at Bautama, Central and the hire car stolen.
A complaint was then made at the police station about the incident.
Later, that July 21, Naup allegedly spotted his car at Hohola and another person (Paul Ezekiel) was driving it.
Ezekiel, when questioned by the police, allegedly said Samuel sold the car to him for K10,000 between 8pm and 9pm on June 28, the night Samuel got the car from Naup.
Consequently, Samuel was arrested and had been in court since.