State, dept ordered to pay K660,000 to lodge

By SCHOLAR KASSAS
THE Waigani National Court has ordered the State and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to pay Peai Lodge K664,972 for using it for Coronavirus (Covid-19) quarantine in 2020.
Acting judge Emma Wurr, on Wednesday, said the court was satisfied that Peai Lodge had provided the services and, therefore, the State and DFAIT should pay up.
Justice Wurr read a statement of claim and said she was satisfied that the claim was genuine.
The court heard that on June 15, 2020, an employee of Peai Lodge, Daniel Leme, met with Winniehayne Herry-Ugava, the director of consular affairs branch at DFAIT, who had formally requested the lodge to accommodate three Papua New Guinea citizens for self-quarantine.
The next day, the Peai Lodge general manager met with two other officers from DFAIT who informed him that the lodge was selected as one of the Covid-19 quarantine exercise lodges.
The two employees of DFAIT verbally informed the manager to send an invoice to them. The lodge sent an invoice for the sum of K664,972.
On June 19, a cheque for K664,972 was paid to Yumi Yet Real Estate for 127 rooms used for Covid-19 quarantine-related exercise.
After about four days of issuing the cheque, DFAIT called the managing director of the lodge and asked him to return the cheque as there were some issues with the signatures on it.
Since then, the lodge made many attempts to reach DFAIT regarding the cheque but had not received any favourable response.