A consented stay order has been issued by the National Court against the sacking of two senior Police officers.
The officers are Assistant Police Commissioner (Crimes) Thomas Eluh and National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate Deputy Director Timothy Gitua.
Their lawyers obtained a stay from the National Court after parties agreed to the stay until the matter returns to court on October 21 for full hearing.
Eluh and Gitua’s lawyer McRonald Nale of Jema Lawyers filed the urgent application seeking interim orders against the termination of both men by Police Commissioner Gari Baki.
The stay is now in effect until parties return on October 21 for full hearing before it can proceed to the substantive matter which is the judicial review of their termination, if the court allows that.
Counsel representing Baki and the Royal PNG Constabulary, who are respondents in the matter, went to court today (October 8) seeking an adjournment of the matter, stating they were “short serve’’on the application on Tuesday this week and did not have time to respond.
He moved for the adjournment to October 21, also stating an overseas counsel will be briefed with the case and will not be available in the country until then.
Justice Panuel Mogish in hearing the application got parties to agree to a consented stay being put in place against their termination until the matter returns for hearing.
Eluh and Gitua were served their termination letters on September 22 and 28 respectively.
Commissioner Baki outlined to the media last week that the reason for their termination was the result of an internal disciplinary process of the Royal PNG Constabulary.