Supreme Court dismisses Kondra’s appeal

Recommendations by the Leadership Tribunal of May 29, 2015, to have the Member for North Fly Boka Kondra dismissed from office will now go to the Speaker of Parliament for consideration.

This comes after a three-man Supreme Court bench handed down its unanimous decision today to dismiss Kondra’s appeal because it found that the trial judge in the National Court, and the Leadership Tribunal members, made no errors in reaching their respective decisions.

Justices Nicholas Kirriwom, Don Sawong and Frazer Pitpit, in a unanimous decision, agreed with the penalty recommended by the tribunal to have Kondra dismissed from office.

The full court also discharged a stay order issued by the Supreme Court on May 21 this year against the decision of the National Court to throw out Kondra’s judicial review. The stay was granted after the Supreme Court allowed this appeal to be heard.

The Supreme Court agreed with the findings of members of the tribunal and National Court that Kondra was double dipping for two years. This was when he used more than K283,000 from his DSIP funds to pay his office rental in Kiunga, accommodation in Port Moresby and settle a personal hire car debt when he knew he was receiving allowance for that, through his salary.

Kondra filed the Supreme Court appeal against the decision of the National Court of March 1, 2016, which dismissed his judicial review.

He was also appealing against the decision of the Leadership Tribunal on May 29, 2015, where Tribunal members Justice Salatiel Lenalia and senior magistrates, Ignatius Kurei and Rosie Johnston, recommended the leader to be dismissed from office.

On April 27, 2015, the Leadership Tribunal found Kondra guilty to six counts of misconduct in office.

He was found guilty of applying DSIP funds to pay for his office rental in Kiunga, to pay for his family accommodation in Port Moresby and settling a personal debt from 2007, prior to his election into office.

 

 

Author: 
Sally Pokiton