Somare to fight charges at tribunal
The National – Monday, July 4th 2011
By JACOB POK
PUBLIC Enterprise Minister Arthur Somare is expected to start his fight against allegations of misconduct at a tribunal today.
Somare, son of Prime Minister Sir Michael, and the sitting MP for Angoram, faces charges of misapplication of district services grants, which allegedly amounts to official misconduct.
The charges will be properly screened during the tribunal process.
The tribunal will be chaired by National and Supreme Court judge Justice Salatiel Lenalia.
He will be assisted by principal Magistrate Orim Karapo and Senior Magistrate Noreen Kanasa.
The tribunal will be held at the Waigani court.
The Ombudsman Commission had initially referred Somare to the office of the public prosecutor for it to recommend a leadership tribunal into Somare’s allegations of official misconduct.
Somare attempted to stop the referral and sought a judicial review on it on the basis that the referral was biased.
Last month, Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika refused Somare’s judicial review application, paving the way for the leadership tribunal to start.