Tribunal decision on Kramer expected today

By BEVERLY PETER
A LEADERSHIP tribunal looking into misconducts and scandalising the Justice Department against Madang MP Bryan Kramer on Friday further adjourned his penalty decision to today.
Judge Lawrence Kangwia as the chairman of the tribunal comprising Magistrate Josephine Nidue and Edward Komia in Waigani, said the decision on penalties was not ready due to some issues beyond the tribunal’s control.
“The decision we said to hand down today (Friday) is not ready.
“There are some issues that are beyond our control so the decision will be delivered on Monday (today),” Judge Kangwia said.
The matter returned on Friday for the tribunal to give their decision on Kramer’s penalty on seven allegations he was found guilty of.
Two were in relation to Kramer’s post on social media scandalising the judiciary and five related to office misconduct of the Madang district service improvement programmes funds.
Public prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin and Kramer’s lawyer, Nemo Yalo, made submissions on the penalty last Monday.
In the submissions, he argued whether there was a serious (culpability) blame on Kramer for all the seven allegations he was found guilty of or not, and if so, what would be the appropriate penalty.
Yalo said there was no serious culpability (blame) on Kramer’s side on the allegations he was found guilty of in order for the tribunal to impose the maximum penalty of dismissed from office.
He said the offences Kramer was guilty of were not serious offences and he shouldn’t be fully blamed for them.
Kaluwin argued that there were serious blame or culpability on Kramer’s side because he did commit those offences such as posting on social media on his own accord scandalising the judiciary and the Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea.
He said Kramer was the mastermind behind the post as well as the misconduct of office and therefore, he should be held accountable.
He added that there was serious culpability on Kramer’s side for all the offences to warrant maximum penalty of being dismissed from office.
The matter is scheduled to return today for the tribunal’s decision.