State wasting court’s time, grounds without merit: Judge

By BEVERLY PETER
THE National Court has rejected State’s application to dismiss suspended Higher Education Research, Science and Technology (Dherst) secretary Fr Jan Czuba’s proceeding challenging the decision of his suspension.
Justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake in Waigani yesterday said the State’s grounds for objecting Fr Jan’s standing was without merit, hopeless and waste of court’s time.
“Fr Jan has set out clear allegations in his case challenging the decision of his suspension and was granted leave to proceed.
“The grounds State rely on in this application are something that is to be determined in the substantive matter,” Justice Dingake said.
It was before the court that Fr Jan was appointed the Dherst secretary in April 2019.
On May 15, the National Executive Council (NEC) decided to suspend him due to a criminal charge against him in relation to an online selection and school leavers’ application system he had created.
Court had cleared Czuba of the criminal charges against him on Jan 19.
He then, through his lawyer Edward Sasingian, filed a leave application to review NEC’s decision on suspension and was granted leave.