The election has come and it is now up to the people to decide the fate of those who made the decision to disband the Investigation Task Force Sweep team.
Sam Koim made this comment after a three-man Supreme Court bench allowed the withdrawal of an appeal, the Investigation Task Force Sweep Team filed, challenging the decision of the National Court when it dismissed its judicial review on the disbanding of ITFS.
Leave was sought in the court by Koim in his capacity as Chairman of the Investigation Task Force Sweep team on Wednesday, which was allowed.
This now means that the stay that was issued by the Supreme Court in February, allowing the work of the sweep team to continue, while the Supreme Court deals with the appeal, is discharged or no longer in effect.
Speaking to the media after the hearing in court on Wednesday, Koim said they recognise the decision of the National Court, which was made on December 2, 2016 by Justice Collin Makail.
Justice Makail, in dismissing the judicial review, said if the people are not satisfied with the members of the NEC who made the decision, they have the elections to decide their (NEC members') fate.
He said on Dec 2, 2016, that even though the issues raised in the judicial review are of public interest and national importance, other remedies available to Koim and the Task Force Sweep are through the National General Elections, when people vote MPs who make up the NEC.
The vote of no-confidence against a Prime Minister was another remedy the court said was available to the people of the country.
With the comments raised earlier by Justice Makail, Koim said the election has come.
“And election has come and now it’s up to the people to decide the fate of those who made the decision but for us, we cannot continue to operate in a dry office,” Koim said.
Since the NEC disbanded the Investigation Task Force Sweep team in 2014, there has been no funding given to the office, which managed to carry its operations with skeleton staff and without any funding source.