Vele gets adjournment

 TREASURY Department Secretary Dairi Vele has been granted an adjournment on an application regarding his warrant of arrest before the Waigani District Court.

Magistrate Cosmas Bidar granted the order yesterday after Vele’s lawyer Tiffany Twivey sought the adjournment.

The arrest warrant against Vele relates to the purchase of two turbine generators from an Israeli company for PNG Power Ltd in 2014.

The application for the police to obtain the warrant of arrest from the court started last September and adjourned to this year.

Twivey said the warrant of arrest application could not proceed because investigations into the allegations against Vele had not been completed. 

She said the matter could proceed when investigations were completed. She said she had not received any affidavit from Police Commissioner Gari Baki, but had received a correspondence from his office.

She said there were different court injunctions in place in relation to the matter.

Lawyer representing Baki, Nicholas Tame, said he had discussions with Baki and agreed that it would be appropriate to allow the investigations to be completed.

The matter returns for mention on March 9.