Top officer to be disciplined

Police Commissioner Gari Baki says that following a court decision, disciplinary steps can be taken against veteran police officer Thomas Eluh.

The National Court decided not to entertain the restraining order against Assistant Commissioner Eluh’s transfer to Rabaul as the NGI Regional Commander.

He was suspended by Mr Baki for not obeying the transfer order.

With the court’s  decision rendered, the disciplinary process will still need to be followed through, the Commissioner said today.

Baki says this means that the initial suspension will still stand while he will be dealt with under the penalties for him disobeying an order for him to be transferred out.

Baki says that Eluh will now have to await the process and then be dealt with administratively.

He says that Eluh was given a month and a half to prepare himself to take up his post in Rabaul but then sought court action which had since failed.

In a normal process when an order is disobeyed Baki says that the guilty officer is suspended for disobeying a lawful order and then the matter will be investigated and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the offending officer.

Eluh will now have to be dealt with internally before any of the disciplinary actions can be taken, with Baki adding that his refusal to go to his new posting had resulted in two actions, his suspension from duties while Anton Billie remains as the acting NGI Divisional Commander in Rabaul.

Author: 
Julianna Waeda