The former member for Lagaip-Pogera, Philip Kikala has been sentenced to seven years in jail today for misappropriation over K1 million, by the Waigani National Court.
The 63 year-old from Tsiaka village, Laiagam in Enga province, was the sitting member between the years 2007-2012, when he misappropriated a total of K1, 107,000.
He stood trial at the Waigani National court and was convicted on four counts of misappropriating various amount of money, over a period of three months in 2012.
Whilst the sitting MP, he registered a company under the name of West Rural Industries limited.
On 25 February 2012, he convened a JDP&BPC meeting and alluded that members of the committee agreed on his company, taking over the contract of building Pyrethrum and potato processing staff house for an allocated amount of K500, 000.
The court found this meeting never convened as members of the JDP&BPC were never present.
Four transections were made into the bank account of West Rural Industries limited, with no acquittals or projects done to justify the transactions.
Various sums of K790, 000, K80,000, K128,000 and K109,000 were made into the company, as cover-up payments for housing project, chicken house projects, consultation and project management fees.
The court in considering his sentence, took into account the sentence trend and the range of senetnces imposed by other courts in previous cases.
Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, said the higher the amount, the level trust and position, the higher the sentence terms when comparing other cases to Kikala’s.
“The prisoner was a member of parliament when he committed the offense. He was therefore a public servant in that regard.
“He was elected to serve his people with total honesty and integrity and deliver goods and services to his people. He was not elected to misuse public funds,” Sir Gibbs said in sentencing Kikala to seven years in prison.
Five years of that seven years sentence term, will be suspended if that entire K1, 107, 100 is fully repaid at any time.
Kikala’s lawyer, George Lao indicated filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against this sentence term. An appeal against the conviction is currently in court.