Trawen: It’s a police case

By SIMON NIANFOP
ELECTORAL Commissioner Andrew Trawen maintains that the mysterious disappearance of the commission’s operations manager Tiane Openakali remains a police matter.
Openakali was last seen at the Mt Whilelm Tourist Lodge in March 2011.
Numerous attempts by police in Kundiawa and Port Moresby, the Electoral Commission and Openakli’s  relatives to find him have failed, Trawen said.
“I truly sympathise (with the family) and certainly agree that it has been a very long time since Openakali mysteriously disappeared while he was on official duty,” he said.
Trawen said the commission acted quickly and did all it could for almost two months.
It dispatched three police officers from the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in Port Moresby to Kundiawa on numerous occasions to assist their colleagues to establish leads on the whereabouts of Openakali.
“The commission hired two helicopters for searches following reports of a sighting of a body. However it was discovered that the body was that of a policeman who was murdered in Mendi prior to Openakali’s disappearance,” Trawen said.
He said the commission had spent almost K1 million on searches and helping police and its own staff for  investigations.
Trawen praised the grieving relatives for their patience in allowing the law to take its course.
“It is my strong hope and prayer that one day sooner a lead would be established to finally track down the mysterious disappearance of Openakali,” he said.
“I appeal to the police hierarchy to fast-track the investigation by requesting for a coronal inquest.”
The relatives recently request an explanation from authorities.