Two WHP LLGs take Gamato to court

By JAMES GUMUNO
TWO local level governments in Western Highlands have filed contempt of court proceedings against Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato, pictured.
The Kotna and Muglamp local level governments through their lawyer Danny Gonol filed contempt proceedings at the National Court in Mt Hagen on Tuesday.
The contempt proceedings was jointly filed by Dickson Ai and 26 others of the Kotna LLG and John Back Wamp and 26 others from Muglamp.
The case will be heard on Monday in Mt Hagen.
It is expected that Gamato will appear in court.
They allege that Gamato did not comply with orders of the National Court and Supreme Court made on the Aug 29, 2014.
It required the Electoral Commissioner to make separate decisions to fail an election under Section 97 of the Organic Law on National and Local Level Governments in respect of each ward on grounds connected with specific wards in question.
The order further stated that lump decision to fail elections for an entire local level government area or a part thereof comprising a number of wards coming under local level government area was beyond the intention of Section 97 and constitutes an unreasonable exercise of power.
The National Court also handed down a decision on May 18, 2016 for Gamato to make separate decisions for each ward without further delay.