Twivey committed for trial

​Prominent lawyer Tiffany Twivey has been 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, on Thursday ordered the committal of the case after she chose to exercise her right and remain silent in response to the allegations against her in the lower court.

She is expected to appear for listing at the National Court on March 20. She is on an extended bail of K1000.

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

It is alleged that the principal of Twivey Lawyers, Tiffany Twivey, 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 the 22nd of July, 2015. 

On the 29th of July, 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 the 30th of July, 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.

Author: 
Sally Pokiton