Policemen arrested over election fraud

Post Courier
 
POLICE have arrested and charged two returning officers with official corruption relating to the 2012 general elections.
 
Sohe returning officer Elliot Damuli Tale, 61, of Tai village in Western province’s Middle Fly district was arrested and charged last December, while his Ijivitari colleague Paul Kamani, 50, of Amiaka village in the Kairuku district outside the nation’s capital was charged on Wednesday.
A police CID team was formed in July last year to investigate the allegations after Oro provincial election manager, Peter Malaifeope, lodged a complaint alleging a major party (named) in the O’Neill government bribed the two electoral officials and flew them to Port Moresby to enable them to return the writs for local MPs David Arore (Ijivitari) and Delilah Gore (Sohe).
 
According to a media statement issued by the Oro provincial police commander, Superintendent Victor Isouve, THE Party paid for the duo’s airline tickets, travel allowances and accommodation at Port Moresby’s Grand Papua Hotel.
However, Ms Gore last night told the Post-Courier she was not aware of any “arrangements” her party could have allegedly done with the electoral officials.
“I was a first timer, I remember signing the writ and being flown to Alotau by a chopper that was charted by THE Party and I am not aware of anything,” she said.
THE Party leader and Treasurer Don Polye and his cabinet colleague Mr Arore did not respond to messages left on the voicemail and texts sent to their mobile phones.
 
Mr Kamani was the assistant district administrator for Ijivitari district with the Oro provincial administration before he was appointed RO. He was interviewed, arrested and charged with three counts of criminal offences under the criminal code and has been locked up in the police station cells to wait for his court appearance.
The Port Moresby-based investigation team also plans to arrest and charge other individuals who helped organise the electoral officials’ trip to Port Moresby. The case is unprecedented as it is the first time an electoral official has been charged with corruption relating to the government formation period.