Tribunal to decide Basil’s fate

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By CHARLES MOI
The State dropped one charge against suspended Bulolo MP Sam Basil at a Leadership Tribunal in Port Moresby yesterday.
The tribunal led by chairman Justice Allen Kingsley David, and senior magistrates Mark Selef Kariu and Josephine Kilage are expected to give a decision on Dec 3.
Public Prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin said the State had conceded that the charge relating to Basil’s failure to declare to the Ombudsman Commission the use of K150,000 of the Bulolo District Operation account could not be substantiated.
The State had alleged that Basil knowingly and recklessly or negligently provided information in the annual returns for the period Aug 6, 2014, to Aug 5, 2015, that were false, misleading or incomplete by not declaring a receipt of K150,000 from the Bulolo district treasury operating account.
However Kaluwin told the tribunal that this charge was not part of the state’s evidence before the tribunal.
Basil will face misconduct in office allegations. The first relates to his alleged interference with the decision of the Central Supply and Tenders Board (CSTB) and failing to implement the construction of Wau commercial and district headquarters.
It is alleged that as chairman of the Bulolo District Development Authority between March 1, 2013 to Sept 24, 2018, he interfered with the CSTB decision awarding a contract to Jaybis Construction and management to construct the Wau commercial and district headquarters.
The second relates to Basil’s alleged use of office for personal benefit – he indirectly asked for and accepted on his behalf K50,000 on three separate occasions for the construction for the Wau commercial and district headquarters.
Lawyer Greg Sheppard who represented Basil told the tribunal that there was no evidence of interference by Basil in the decision by the CSTB.
He said no funds were approved by the district to build the Wau commercial and district headquarters, and that Basil was not responsible for implementing decisions of the CSTB.