The judicial review into the disbanding of the Investigation Task Force Sweep has been deferred to November due to the unavailability of lawyers in the case.
The matter came before Justice Collin Makail today (September 30) at the National Court where new dates were set for the two day trial which will start on November 19.
This is the substantive matter filed by chairman of the Investigation Task Force Sweep Sam Koim against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to review the disbanding of the ITFS by the government.
The disbanding of the ITSF was stayed by Justice Les Gavara-Nanu on July 28, 2014 in a Supreme Court decision.
The Investigation Task Force Sweep is represented by Jema Lawyers’ overseas counsel Greg Egan and Terry Lambert who are currently banned from entering the country by Chief Migration officer Mataio Rabura.
They are assisted by McRonald Nale while the Prime Minister is represented by Twivey Lawyers’ briefed out overseas counsel Mal Varitimos.
The review was set to take place at the end of September however that has been deferred as Varitimos is also unavailable due to a medical condition.
On July 28, 2014 Justice Les Gavara-Nanu ruled in favour of the Investigation Task Force Sweep (ITFS) chaired by the plaintiff Sam Koim, ordering that the interim (temporary) stay granted on 8 July, 2014, be made permanent.
This means that the court on July 28, 2014 permanently stopped the disbanding of the Investigation Task Force Sweep after it was disbanded by the government on June 28, 2014.
The orders of July 28, 2014 by Justice Gavara-Nanu was to permanently stay or stop the disbanding of the ITSF until the said decisions are heard and fully determined by the court through the judicial review which will now take place in November.