By James Guken
A recent social media post claiming that police officers stormed the National Court in Waigani, earlier this month is false.
The incident occurred on the 3rd of this month involving police officers visited the court’s registry to inquire about an election petition. They were directed to Deputy Registrar Mr. Baka Bina, who was informed about a complaint lodged regarding his approval of filing fees for EP 01 of 2024, which concerned a disputed election return in the Lagaip electorate.
National Court Deputy Registrar Mr. Baka Bina clarified that the filing fee of K1,000 was paid in two separate installments, following court procedure. There was no arrest, and Mr. Bina was never detained. The police officers were provided with his affidavit and the court’s ruling on the filing fee issue.
False claims circulating on WhatsApp suggesting the involvement of the Chief Justice meeting with judges were dismissed as untrue. The Chief Justice has been out of the country since November 31 and had no involvement in the matter.
The court has referred the incident to the police for further investigation.
