The National Fraud Squad has arrested terminated assistant police commissioner for Human Resource Sylvester Kalaut and Police HR Director Superintendent Bob Kerry on Sunday.
Both men were each charged with two counts of Abuse of Office and Conspiracy to Defraud.
These charges relate to allegations on the misuse of police pension funds totaling up to close to a million kina.
The allegations in this matter date back to 2018.
Police are alleging that former ACP Kalaut and HR Director Kerry who were then signatories to the Police Pension Suspense Account had authorized and misapplied close to K948 000.
Both Kalaut and Kerry were released from the Boroko Police Station on police bail on Sunday.
After the charges were laid, Kalaut told the media, the charges were malicious.
Kalaut’s arrest comes two days after Kalaut was successful in a National Court application for Leave seeking a Judicial Review challenging the process of David Manning’s appointment as Commission for Police in 2019.
The application was filed on grounds that the process involved in the appointment of David Manning was biased and did not follow the proper process.
Kalaut’s lawyer who also represented second Plaintiff Fred Yakasa, told the courts last Thursday that one of the requirements for the COP’s position was for the applicants to have a tertiary qualification, a criteria Manning did not meet.
After Justice David Cannings granted the Leave Application, Commissioner Manning released a statement saying he welcomed the court’s decision for a Judicial Review.
Meanwhile, as police commence an investigation into these charges against Kalaut and Kerry, the court’s orders on the Judicial Review states that all Notice of Motions and supporting affidavit be filed to all respondents by the 21st of May.
This will be the first time the appointment of a police commissioner will be challenged in court and the matter returns to court on May 28th.
By Theckla Gunga, EMTV News, Port Moresby.
