Sir Salamo Injia

The Speaker of Parliament, the Attorney General, Electoral Commission and chairman of the Constitutional Law and Reforms Commission, are to be served the reference by February 16.

The Commission must serve the reference on the four parties, including an application seeking interim orders. If these parties are interested in the reference, they are to file responding statements by February 21.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia issued the directions to Ombudsman Commission’s counsel Dr Vergil Narokobi today.

The PNG flag at the Waigani National Court house was flown at half-mast today in respect of the late judge who was serving her second term as a judge of the National and Supreme Court at the time of her death, last Friday, Nov 4.

A one-minute silence was done in Justice Panuel Mogish's court room before crime related cases were heard this morning.

Justice Davani was the first female Papua New Guinean judge appointed to the bench in 2001.

He said currently Pacific island judiciaries are accustomed to the use of a Registry-based Case Management System however its application has produced court inefficiency.

The Registry-based Case Management System or RCMS has been responsible for many undesired outcomes such as the accumulation of a backlog of cases that have remained unreached for many years.

As a result of dissatisfaction over the RCMS, Sir Salamo Injia today said a modern case system has evolved.

Ian Molloy, lawyer representing Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Rimbink Pato as well as the Chief Migration officer, Mataio Rabura, moved the application today asking the high court to halt the inquiry on grounds it was not proper.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia said the inquiry will proceed and told parties to provide details of an Australian Government representative who will later be asked to give a statement to the court. This is to show where the Australian Government is in terms of orders issued in April to shut down the asylum processing centre in Manus.

He said the legal and judicial profession is a discipline organisation and the personal appearance of lawyers and judges is also important.

He told the new lawyers that personal appearance of the profession that is observed in courts in other common law jurisdictions should be no different in the country.

This follows sentence submissions last week Thursday (June 25).

Vaki was found guilty on June 17 for refusing to execute a warrant of arrest against the Prime Minister last year.

His lawyer Greg Sheppard in his submission last Thursday asked the court for a fine or suspension of time so his client can serve a non-custodial sentence.

Mathew Damaru and Timothy Gitua’s lawyer Greg Egen from Jema lawyers however submitted before the Chief Justice that a jail term of five years should be given to Vaki.

Vaki is currently out on bail on his own recognizance.