Central Committal Court

Morgan Mogu and Dominic Terupo through their lawyer Bernard Popeu submitted before Magistrate Alex Kalandi that the charges laid against the two is inappropriate.

The duo are being charged with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Criminal Code Act and Money Laundering Financial Act 2015 section 508.

Their lawyer said that the charge of money laundering is inappropriate.

He instead argued that this is a simple case of possession of “dangerous drugs”.

Magistrate Ben Kome of the Central Committal Court issued the reminder when striking out a case against four accused, saying section 37 of the constitution applies to all.  

The case had been in court since February this year, and seven months later, the arresting officer failed to compile an investigation file to assist the court.

By practice, after an accused is arrested, four months is given to police to investigate and compile its investigation files. This was not done after seven months.

The father-of-two appeared in the Central Committal Court after he was arrested and charged under the criminal code, with one count of sexual penetration and one count of deprivation.

The three-year-old victim is from the same district as the accused.

Police allege that on May 13 this year, the victim was taken by the accused while the parents were busy attending to other things during a family gathering out at the Adventure Park, outside Port Moresby.

The Central Committal Court issued a warrant of arrest for Nelson David Yakan (29) from Sopos village, Wabag, Enga Province, after he escaped from the Committal Court precinct while being escorted to court.

His arrest warrant will return to court on June 15 for review. He was remanded at Bomana when brought to court for mention where he escaped.

Yakan was arrested on Jan 17 and charge with wilfully and unlawfully killing a Paul Sope on Jan 13 at 14-Mile outside Port Moresby.

He was also charged with the attempted murder of Jack Ninkama.

The case against one of the defendants, Toksy Jacob, briefly went for mention before the Central Committal Court on Tuesday and was adjourned to April 4.

Jacob first appeared for mention in court at Waigani on February 16, 2016, after he was flown to Port Moresby from Kokoda with a 17-year-old defendant.

In Oct 2016, the court received the completed police investigation files in the case against Jacob.

The Committal Court is still assessing evidence in his case. This is to see if there is sufficient evidence to commit it for trial in the National Court.

The Central Committal Court on Tuesday dismissed the case against Joshua Gini David after he was arrested and charged on 18 January last year for unlawfully killing his step daughter, who was 16 years old at the time of her death.

Allegations brought by police before the court stated that David sexually assaulted the 16-year-old before she committed suicide by hanging herself on 2^nd December, 2015, at her family home.

The deceased was the daughter of his partner at the time of the alleged offense.

The youth, Ronnie Kevau Taga 23- years- of- age from Delena village, Bereina village, Central Province was arrested over the incident on Jan 4 at Doa police station and brought to court for the first time this week.

He was apprehended by village court magistrates and taken by police officers on Christmas and New Year operations to Doa.

He was charged with arson by CID Central at the Six-Mile service station and appeared at the Central Committal Court before Magistrate ben Kome this week.

 Magistrate Ben Kome today allowed a final adjournment in the case involving Bereina man, Omaro Maka who was arrested and charged in June this year for dangerous driving causing death.

Maka told the court he lives in the village and it was a costly exercise travelling to Port Moresby from Bereina to attend his case.

He made these comments after Police prosecution told the court it is yet to receive instructions from the investigating officer handling the case on his progress in the investigation files.

 Magistrate Ben Kome said the court only received a copy of the investigation files or the hand-up brief this month despite the accused being served his files on June 23.

The hand-up brief was put into the court files this month after an order was made on Aug 16.

Toksy Jacob first appeared in court on Feb 16 and eight months on, his case is still before the Committal Court process.

The case was adjourned for another two weeks to give more time for his lawyer to file his submissions.