By PNG Echo.
The substantive case on the future of Task Force Sweep has, after six months of delays, received a trial date of 20th October at 1.30 pm.
The date was fixed on Wednesday (Oct 5) in the Waigani Court – Justice Colin Makail presiding.
With this case having been trial-ready since 13 April, and with Justice Makail, up to this point, entertaining adjournment after adjournment requested by Sam Koim, on Wednesday the Judge set aside all motions that would further delay the trial and it will go ahead as per the stated schedule.
After this matter is settled, Koim will then face the contempt charges associated with the publicising of the results of Task Force Sweeps investigations – in direct contravention of a court order.
Maybe on the 20th October PNG will, at last, get the answers it craves (or details officially confirmed) of matters of national importance such as who’s been funding Koim and whether the payments are legitimate or just more corruption?
Isn’t 20 October the deadline for public servants who wish to contest the National Election in 2017 to resign? If so, listing the matter at 1.30 gives Koim the chance to resign as a public servant in the morning. But the contemp motion will remain and that should reveal who has been funding him because it will be relevant to know who paid for the newspaper ad that amounted to contempt of court. Plus, if Koim discontinues his case then the State should be able to chase him for the costs of he proceedings.
So are we now waiting for another judgment from Colin Mikail? How long will we have to wait this time? Last time he gave a date for a judgment in this case he took ages to hand down that judgment. Plus, when he gives judgment, won’t there be a good chance it will be wrong? So we will then have to wait how long for an appeal to be heard? Not to forget, what about the contempt case against Koim? By the way, whatever happened to setting up an ICAC?
I read somewhere that Mikail was gong to deliver his judgment on November 8. What happened? This happened before when Mikail was sitting as a Supreme Court judge and he took months to deliver his judgment. Don’t tell me he is going to be slow as well as wrong?