3 warders held over jailbreak

January 26, 2010- The National 

By JACOB POK

POLICE arrested three Correctional Services officers yesterday in connection with the escape of alleged bank robbery mastermind William Kapris and 11 other dangerous prisoners.
The three warders were taken to the Boroko Police Station and locked up yesterday.
They were questioned by police investigating the Jan 12 escape by the 12 from the maximum security unit at Bomana jail outside Port Moresby.
The three warders have been charged under Sections 138 and 140 of the PNG Criminal Code with aiding and abetting the escape of the prisoners.
National Capital District metropolitan commander, Supt Fred Yakasa, confirmed yesterday afternoon that the three men had been arrested and locked up at the Boroko police cells for questioning while more investigations were still being carried out.
He said two of the officers were the ones manning the maximum security unit gates at the time of the escape, while the third was the one who had called the two officers to tell them that a lady, a human rights “lawyer”, was on her way to visit a prisoner client.
Supt Yakasa said police believe the three officers had breached all security procedures of the CS.
“The permission to allow visitors into the maximum security unit only comes from three people: the deputy Correctional Services Commissioner (Operations), the Correctional Services Commissioner, or a National Court judge who heads criminal matters. None of these people gave that permission,” Supt Yakasa said.
He said the officers manning the maximum security unit at the time were senior officers who had been in the job for a long time and should have had vast knowledge of the security and visitation 
procedures.
“We believe it is a planned thing, as there was a clear breach of security. The officers know very well that they cannot act upon orders from elsewhere unless it’s from the three authorities,” Supt Yakasa said.
He said the three officers would be thoroughly questioned about their alleged involvement and that of others.
He said the names of the three warders could not be disclosed at this stage as investigations were still in progress. They will appear in committal court today.
Kapris and 11 others were sprung from the jail on Jan 12, allegedly by a female who posed as a lawyer for one of the prisoners. She allegedly slipped through a gun, which the prisoners used to detain the warders before they escaped. None of the prisoners nor the female “lawyer” have been captured.
Police are offering a reward of K10,000 for the capture, or information that could lead to the capture of the 12.

Court guard wins wrongful dismissal case against NJSS

January 26, 2010- The National 

By JACOB POK

THE WAIGANI National Court has ordered the Magisterial Services to reinstate a former security guard who was sacked in 2005.
Prai Ipandi, the plaintiff, was engaged by the National Judicial Staff Service (NJSS) as a security guard in February 1992. 
The court heard that Ipandi was made a permanent officer with the NJSS in June 1999. 
At that time, the NJSS was responsible, under the NJSS Act, for providing administrative support to the Supreme Court, the National Court and the District Courts. Mr Ipandi was transferred to the Magisterial Services to work there when the administrative support system for the district courts were separated from other courts in 2003.
The court heard that Mr Ipandi was charged with some disciplinary offences in 2005 and the director of Magisterial Service dismissed him. 
Aggrieved by his dismissal, Mr Ipandi applied for leave to seek judicial review of the director’s decision and leave was granted. A further trial was conducted.
Mr Ipandi’s main grounds of argument were that the director had no power to charge or punish him, as he was still an officer of the NJSS and could only be charged and punished by the secretary of the NJSS.
He also argued that the notice of charges laid on him was so vague and confusing that he was denied natural justice. 
Justice David Cannings found that there was overwhelming evidence to prove that the magisterial services director had no power to lay charges and order the sacking of the plaintiff. 
Justice Cannings said Mr Ipandi had been denied natural justices as the disciplinary charges were vague and confusing and made no grammatical sense. He found that there was no formal description or explanation of the charges, which left Ipandi confused when he was sacked. 
Justice Cannings ordered the director of the Magisterial Service to reinstate Mr Ipandi to his former or equivalent position in the Magisterial Services within 30 days. 
He also ordered that his pay and other entitlements be backdated to Oct 5, 2007.

Woman 'lawyer' frees 12 hardcore prisoners

January 13, 2010- The National 

By JACOB POK 

A WOMAN “lawyer” aided the daring escape of 12 high risk prisoners, including bank robbery suspect William Nanua Kapris from the Bomana Maximum Security Unit in another hostage situation yesterday morning.

Kapris and five others, regarded as dangerous, had been involved in series of major robberies.

Besides Kapris, the others are Oliver Ben Gabi, Ben Nom, Elizah Tingal, Kito Aso and Don Aka.

The other escapees were from the main compound who were temporarily housed at maximum security.

They included John Siko Wel, who was sodomising young prisoners, James Pari, who is a serial rapist jailed for the rape and murder of a woman pilot in Lae several years ago, Peter Plesman, Greg Varvar, Duma Korowa and Raphael Walimini.

Plesman, Korowa and Walimani are on death row, or condemned detainees.

The escape drama started at the Port Moresby General Hospital at about 8.30am where a detainee, accompanied by three warders, was being treated for epilepsy.

Two warders were with the prisoner while the driver, who was in the vehicle, was held up by armed men who blindfolded him and took him hostage to a hotel room.

There he was forced to call the Maximum Security Unit guards to inform them to expect a female human rights lawyer (named) from a law firm to visit prisoner John Siko Wel.

Correctional Service Commissioner Richard Sikani said the daring escape in a hostage situation was aided by this lone woman in a clear breach of established security procedures on which visitation is granted only by the Commissioner, deputy commissioner (operations) or the courts.

Mr Sikani said the woman pretended to act as a human rights lawyer and went straight to the MSU in a blue vehicle where she delivered a letter to the guards and passed through the main gate.

He said the letter was a request letter to the officer in charge of the MSU, seeking entry to give legal assistance to the prisoner Wel.

Mr Sikani said while she was inside the prison, a guard assisted her into the visitor’s section where the prisoner was called out to meet her.

He said they sat and talked at a round table for a while and then the woman lawyer moved her chair and bent forward and in that instance passed a pistol to Siko Wel who held up the guard and ordered the other guard to unlock the cell gates and emptied the entire facility of its 12 prisoners.

He said they then made their way out of the main gate and escaped in the vehicle with the woman at around 10.33 am.

Mr Sikani said his office and police were informed of the escape an hour later at 11.30 am.

This is the second escape of robbery suspect Kapris Nanua who pulled off a similar escape in 2006 where he used a doctor to write that he was very sick and a lawyer wrote to prison officials persuading them to release him for treatment where he escaped when in hospital.

Mr Sikani has reported the matter as high priority to the National Security Advisory Committee who will be meeting today to institute an independent investigation while the CS will carry out its own.

He said all the ports and airports are now being monitored by police and Correctional Service officers and appealed to the community to help report suspicious looking people.

Mr Sikani also asked the public to take precaution and for cooperation in reporting in the escapees.

Wagambie: I am ready to respond

January 6, 2010- The National 

By JACOB POK

Senior police officer Tony Wagambie, who has been denied from taking office as the acting deputy police commissioner after winning a court battle, said he was prepared to respond to the seven disciplinary charges imposed on him by Police Commissioner Gari Baki.  
The charges were prepared in October last year, but were served on him shortly after he won the court battle last month. 
He had questioned the serving of the charges, saying that they should have been issued straight after it was prepared but was prolonged and served on him until he won the court battle that ordered his reinstatement as the acting deputy commissioner of police. 
Mr Wagambie said he was given 14 days to respond to the charges and would soon respond to them after finalising some of the responses. 
He said he had also instituted contempt of court proceedings against Mr Baki for not complying with court orders that ordered his reinstatement and the matter was still pending in court. 
“Each time Mr Baki failed to endorse the court orders, it amounts to contempt of court,” he said.