Kapris ruling next month

By ROSALYN EVARA, Post Courier

THE verdict on the case against accused bank robber William Nanua Kapris and his 13 co-accused will be handed down next month.
Kapris and his co-accused had yesterday appeared briefly before National Court Judge Justice David Cannings, anticipating the decision to be handed down but this was not the case.
Also present was the Senior Public Prosecutor Kaluwin Pondros, State lawyers representing 10 of the accused Anne Raymond and Mwagawa Mwawesi while absent were private lawyers David Dataona representing Kapris and Seth Daniels who is representing the remaining three of the accused.
Justice Cannings said the verdict was not ready as the court had been very busy. He said the matter would be set down for mention on March 8 while the actual verdict would be handed down on March 10. Meanwhile, in the case against the developers of the Ramu nickel project, Louis Mediang, the lead plaintiff in the Ramu nickel mine waste dumping case, has confirmed he will be filing new contempt of court proceedings against the mine owners.

Kapris still at Beon jail

 THE state has ignored court orders to move William Nanua Kapris to Bomana jail in Port Moresby for safety reasons cited in their own urgent application since last year due to lack of funds.
The application made on a Saturday by senior state prosecutor, Pondros Kaluwin, who is currently on leave, stated that for security reasons Kapris had to be quickly sent to Bomana and not be kept at Beon or be allowed to join his accomplices at the main compound.
According to Kapris’ lawyer David Dotaona, who did not seem surprised when told of his clients predicament, said: “What is the purpose of the application then if the state was adamant that he be moved to Bomana due to intelligence reports from the National Intelligence Organisation (NIO) that he would either be assassinated or aided to escape if kept at Beon by some outside accomplices.”
“Ask the Correctional Service Commissioner or Kaluwin why Kapris is still at Beon,” Dotaona added.

Questions raised on dates in Kapris trial

By ROSALYN EVARA, Post Courier

Questions were asked last Friday about the statements which were brought before the court by the state witnesses in relation to the Madang Bank South Pacific heist.
The questions were raised by the defence councels and were in relation to dates which had appeared in two of the witnesses statements which apparently were not only contrary to the sworn oral evidence they signed but in one file had been altered with a pen.
Further, that despite claims by the witnesses that their statements were given to police in Tok Pisin the statements on file were in English and were not dated even though the witnessess were able to state when the statements were taken down.
Given these contradictory facts which were presented suggestions were made by the defence lawyers that the witnesses has signed more than one statement but all four insisted they had only done so once.
The first of the witnesses who was called to swear on oath was Ezikiel John Mai who despite in the statement he signed in the file against Isabelle Kivore stated he had met her for the first time on June 26, remained adamant it happened on June 19.
He reached into his pocket pulling out a statement which he claimed contained the real facts which he had given to police and consistent with his testimony in court.
This forced the senior state prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin to seek a brief adjournment from the court to clarify the issue on how many statements had been taken. Soon after the short recess Mr Mai’s daughter Jane was called to the box.
the trial continues at 9am today.