‘Yet to receive restraining orders’

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner Gari Baki said he has not received the court summons restraining him from suspending National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate (NFACD) boss Mathew Damaru.

He also confirmed that internal investigations have commenced to “ascertain facts on all issues in question”, including the two lawyers that represented Chief Superintendent Damaru in court this week.

Baki has warned that the lawyers and other police officers will be charged when investigations are complete and if they are deemed guilty of offences.

Damaru and his lawyers were scheduled to file for contempt of court yesterday against Baki’s decision to temporarily close the fraud squad office in defiance of a court order to allow it to remain open.

The court order stated that Baki and his agents and servants were, “restrained from dealing with the plaintiff’s suspension and further suspending, terminating, or making any disciplinary action, either directly or indirectly against the plaintiff and members of the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate either in the performance of his and/or their constitutional duties or otherwise until further Orders.”

Baki has appealed to the public not to misconstrue the actions he took against Damaru and the fraud office out of context as he stressed the actions were independent and purely “administrative in nature”.

“The only issue that will emerge as a result of my suspension is ‘timing’ of my administrative action.

“Nevertheless, let me state from the outset that, these actions are independent and purely administrative in nature and has nothing to do with the current turn of events undertaken by the NFACD and should not be taken out of context,” Baki said.

“Damaru and Gitua (Timothy Gitua, deputy head of the fraud office), although suspended, will have to ensure that they attend to the cases they currently have before the court.

“I am not and will not stop them from doing so. In fact I will provide them with all logistical and administrative support they require. “It is their duty as police officers to ensure that they turn up in court and prosecute their cases,” he said.

- Post-Courier