The Commission of Inquiry into payments to lawyers and law firms by state agencies commenced its preliminary hearing today.
The Commission of Inquiry, established by a National Executive Council decision, is headed by retired judge Warwick John Andrews.
Under the chairmanship of Warwick Andrews, the Commission is given a time frame of 3 months to complete this inquiry.
The Commission of Inquiry into payments to lawyers and law firms by state agencies commenced this morning in Port Moresby.
Headed by Warwick Andrews, the Commission of Inquiry is required to enquire into and report on current practices used to award brief outs to law firms, along with current practices by law firms in lodging claims for work completed.
It is also tasked to inquire into cases from the last two years and investigate in detail a sample of such cases.
After completing the findings, the Commission of Inquiry is required to make recommendations
The hearing today was adjourned shortly after commencing when the counsel assisting the Commissioner requested for an adjournment, emphasising that the team needed more time to gather documents, especially approvals of claims lodged with government agencies.
Any persons or organisations with interest in the subject matter of the inquiry, or desires to seek leave to attend the commission, have been requested to contact the Commission.
The commission’s usual hearings will be from 9:30am to 12:30pm and from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
The media, both print and electronic, will be allowed access to public hearings.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6-SU50Ikn-M%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
