Court will review Sir Michael's ‘mental capacity’

BY RAYMOND J SCHEICHER

THE EAST SEPIK provincial government has been ordered to obtain and provide to the five-man Papua New Guinea Supreme Court medical records in respect of the medical condition of Sir Michael Somare.

The provincial government is also to present to court evidence of a resolution by members of the East Sepik provincial executive council that enables it to bring the special reference to court.

The court has requested these orders be complied with by Tuesday. They are part of several directional orders unanimously agreed and issued by Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika and senior judges Justices Bernard Sakora, Nicholas Kirriwom and Les Gavara-Nanu.

This follows the court’s earlier unanimous decision to allow Attorney-General Dr Allan Marat to add several new questions to the reference.

The court ruled that since Dr Marat has the legal standing in his official capacity as the Attorney-General to bring a reference, he also has the legal standing to add questions to a reference brought to court.

Dr Marat’s raised more than 20 new questions and issues in addition to the more than 30 questions which the court has stated will be dealt with during the hearing.

The Attorney-General’s questions interrogate Sir Michael’s general medical health and his mental capacity during the time he was given leave by parliament to be absent and his consequential absenteeism from parliament going beyond the time he was given leave.

They also ask about the possibility that this amounted to creating a vacancy in the office of the prime minister.

Dr Marat is also questioning whether the provincial government had obtained a board resolution to bring this reference to court.

Source: Official Wire, 1 September
http://news.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=180873

Comments

[Leonard Roka]

This, as all PNGians should know, is the bad side of PNG politics. Lapun na laik whip yet! Ba yumi how nau?

Does PNG has a retirement age for people like Sir Michael?

[Barbara Short]

This is wonderful. Here is a group of intelligent, experienced, thoughtful, caring, well trained lawyers from various parts of PNG working together to solve this problem.

Age and sickness can cause confusion in the mind of any person, no matter how wonderful they have been during their lifetime.

PNG must be starting to see how important it is to have a good legal system run by men of this ilk, to work with the elected members of parliament in running the country.