Twivey’s bail reviewed

Twivey’s lawyer appeared before Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika on Monday, where her District Court bail conditions were converted to National Court bail conditions. She remains on an extended bail of K1,000.

The State and her lawyers were also told to file pre-trial review statements before a trial date can be set. The matter returns to court on May 1.

On March 9, Twivey was committed to stand trial in the Waigani National Court to answer to allegations of perverting the course of justice in 2015.

Magistrate John Kaumi, of the Waigani Committal Court, ordered the committal of the case after she chose to exercise her right and remain silent in response to the allegations against her.

She was arrested and charged on April 11, 2016, with one count of perverting the course of justice.

It is alleged that Twivey, as principal of her law firm, while acting on behalf of her client, Daire Vele, between July 28 and 30 of 2015, and without the knowledge of Chief Inspector Timothy Gitua and the leave from Court, substituted Gitua’s name with the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary as the informant in the information charge before court.

She allegedly did so in an application at the District Court to set aside an arrest warrant for Treasury Secretary Daire Vele.

Chief Inspector Timothy Gitua was the lead investigator in an alleged illegal payment of K50 million to an Israeli Company, LR Group, for the purchase of two diesel turbine power generators.

Vele was alleged to have given the directions for the payment.

A warrant for Vele’s arrest was issued by the Waigani District Court on July 22, 2015. 

On July 29, 2015, his lawyer (Twivey) filed an application at the District Court to set aside the warrant of arrest against him, where she substituted the names.

Then on July 30, 2015, a stay order was successfully obtained, stopping the arrest of Vele, pending the outcome of the application to set aside his warrant of arrest.