Sawari taken in by police after court

​Iranian refugee Loghman Sawari is facing possible additional charges after he was escorted into a police vehicle this afternoon straight from his court trial at the Waigani District Court.

His lawyer, Loani Henao told the media outside the court house, he does not know why his client was taken in but all he knew was that he was to be driven to the Waigani Police station.

Police escorted him into a waiting vehicle soon after his lawyer made further submissions in court on a no-case submission, asking the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that police prosecution did not prove its case.

Henao told the court there was no evidence that he used a PNG Passport, number e133854 to travel out nor obtained the passport from falsified information.

“There is no evidence that this application was that of Sawari,” he added.

 A ruling on the no-case submission is expected on April 11.

The 21-year-old was arrested and charged on Feb 3 for providing false information for the purpose of obtaining a PNG passport from the PNG Immigration and Citizen Services Authority, a charge that falls under section 16 (1) of the Passport Act of 1982.

He allegedly used false identification to obtain travel documents which he later used to leave PNG for Fiji.

Summary of facts before the court says he used a passport bearing the name Junior Charles Sawari to travel to Fiji. The passport was obtained through a consultant, Junior Aisa, who allegedly submitted the falsified information to Immigration on July 8, 2016. A fee of K1,000 was paid to Aisa for this service.

That passport was released from the PNG Immigration on Aug 2, 2016, and collected by Aisa.

Sawari arrived in PNG from Christmas Island in 2013 as a 17-year-old seeking asylum. He was processed in Manus and given a refugee status.

 

(Loop PNG photo of Loghman Sawari being escorted into a police vehicle this afternoon.)

Author: 
Sally Pokiton