Mystery woman 'lawyer' arrested

Caption: Mystery 'women lawyer' Helen Mark Kuipa at the MOSIC office at the Boroko police station during her questioning yesterday

City top cop shocked as suspect is a wantok and relative

THE woman "lawyer" who helped suspected bank robber William Nanua Kapris and 11 others escape from the Bomana maximum security facility on Jan 12 was arrested in a house at the Talai settlement in Badili, NCD, on Saturday, The National reports.

What shocked NCD metropolitan commander Chief Supt Fred Yakasa was that she happened to be from the same village as his and is a relative.

"That showed that people from everywhere and anywhere can get involved in this sort of thing, and not just from one area," he told a media conference yesterday.

The woman was identified as Helen Mark Kuipa, 26, from Kupalis village in Wabag, Enga province.

Chief Supt Yakasa said she maybe educated to Grade 11 or 12, or maybe first year at the university.

But she was not a lawyer, he said.

She was caught between 8pm and 10pm at Talai settlement following a tip-off.

Prior to that, she had been moving around from Gerehu to Morata and Nine Mile.

Chief Supt Yakasa said after the Jan 12 escape, Helen had spent one-and-a-half weeks with the fugitives, including Kapris, in and around Sogeri before they made their way back into the city and went separate ways into hiding in various locations.

He said Helen was flown from Lae to Port Moresby in December to play her role in the scheme, to go in and take out the prisoners.

He said her role to pose as a human rights lawyer for prisoner John Siko Wel was planned for her.

He said after her admission to helping the prisoners to escape from Bomana prison, police found that the escape was alleged to have been engineered through her "very close" relationship with BSP bank robbery suspect Kapris.

Helen has been charged with one count of aiding the escape of Siko Wel. She was charged under section 138(a) chapter 262 of the Criminal Code. She faces 11 other charges under this section for the 11 other prisoners who escaped.

She is likely to be charged with armed robbery, impersonating a lawyer and deprivation of liberty. She faces a total of 14 charges.

Chief Supt Yakasa said the Major Organised Crime Investigation Team (MOSIT) was still interrogating Helen on her involvement in the escape and to verify any alleged connection she may have had in relation to the BSP bank robberies of 2008.

He said Helen was cooperating well with police investigators.

He said they were piecing together clues to the puzzle.

"We are getting information about the whole drama. Members of the public with information should come forward."

Five escapees from the Jan 12 breakout still remain at large. On Friday, five escapees who broke out from Bomana last September surrendered to police.

Court bars inquiry report

THE Government has been barred from implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Finance Department.

The National Court issued this order on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare tabled the 800-page report in Parliament.

The interim injunction issued by Justice Bernard Sakora prevents the Chief Secretary and his task force team from implementing the recommendations of the report.

The order prevents the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, Chief Secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc, their agents, servants or instruments of the State from implementing, discussing, debating, or giving effect to the report compiled by retired judge Maurice Sheehan and his Commissioners.

The order also bans the media from reporting the recommendations of the report.

The orders were issued under section 155(3)(a) of the Constitution. The orders remain in force pending the hearing of the judicial review challenge on the entire report itself.

The orders were obtained by former Solicitor General Zachery Gelu and Paul Paraka, principal of Paul Paraka Lawyers, the biggest law firm in the country.

Paul Paraka Lawyers, through its Alotau branch, approached Justice Sakora to hear this application. Because of its urgent nature, the judge agreed to hear it on Saturday.

The plaintiffs allege that the final report of the inquiry contains certain adverse findings and recommendations against a number of organizations and individuals without any foundation.

They contend that the report is flawed I many respects, and breaches certain legalizations and the Constitution. They contend that the final report is not only unprofessionally done, but also done illegally outside the terms of reference of the inquiry.

"Such illegal report cannot be allowed to be debated, discussed, or acted upon. Adverse findings and recommendations made in a flawed report cannot be allowed to find its way into the public domain," Gelu contended.

Gelu and Paraka contend that of the 43 specific cases reported in the final report, only 18 were within the terms of reference and had been properly inquired into. They said 25 were illegally inquired into as they were outside the terms of reference, and in most of these cases, no payments were made by the Finance Department.

After a four hour hearing, Justice Sakora issued the orders. The judge also ordered that the matter be listed for a judicial review hearing in Waigani.

 

 

Somare changes tact

ANGORAM MP Arthur Somare has decided not to refer the two daily newspapers to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee to force the names of two ministers and a MP allegedly involved in the escape of wanted criminal William Kapris to be made public, The National reports.

Mr Somare has now changed tact, and has now moved a motion for the Speaker to request the newspapers to publish those names.

The Public Enterprises Minister explained his change of tactics last Friday.

“At that time, I believed that such action would provide an ideal opportunity for those who felt that they were wrongly accused, to defend themselves and avail themselves to whatever legal remedies they saw fit.”

“Since then, the advice that I have received suggests that such action would not achieve that outcome and the privilege would in fact thwart any legal recourse that a wrongly accused member or minister may have against the author of such newspaper reports.”

“My Motion therefore now, is to move that this Parliament through the Office of the Speaker, request the newspapers that ran the stories mentioned, to name those “government ministers, members of Parliament and High-Ranking Officials” named in the affidavit and be published as a matter of Public Interest.”

He said he was responding newspaper reports: The National, February 10^th & 11^th 2010 Edition [Front Page], “Politics Involved In Bomana Escape”, The National, March 2^nd 2010 Edition [Front Page] “Three Politicians Funded Escape”, The Post Courier, March 3^rd 2010 Edition [Front Page] “Ministers, Members of Parliament and High-Ranking Officials Were Involved”

“General and ‘sweeping’ allegations about “government ministers, MPs and High-Ranking Officials” being involved in criminal acts like the Kapis robberies, in my view, constitute reckless and malicious journalism intended to make everyone of us a suspect and thereby call into question our personal integrity and innocence, as long as you or I fall into the category of being a government minister, member of Parliament or a High-ranking official.”

But sources told The National Mr Somare felt pressured to change tactics because some MPs within government were questioning the motives behind his move.

“Some Members were wondering what Somare or the Government would achieve in this exercise. It is not in the interest of government to have names extracted from a police investigation that is still under way. Whose interests will this serve?” one source said.

 

 

 

More questions raised at Kapris

From PAUL OATES

Well may Mr Kapris, or is it Kapis, claim to have been acting in conjunctionwith some high profile figures. But the point must surely be, if such a claim was made, to what extent would it benefit Mr Kapris? There can only be  one good reason why Mr Kapris would want to 'spill the beans' on any high  level accomplices. He wants to have a record made of his testimony BEFORE anyone tries to get to him and rub him out.

The example of Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused killer of US President Kennedy, readily comes to mind. The fact that it took over a year for Jack  Ruby, Oswald's killer, to be brought to trial reeks of conspiracy and corruption at a high level. Ruby died in custody before he could appear in court. It doesn't take much imagination to work out that Kapris was sprung for a reason or that there were powerful and influential backers behind the scenes. It begs the question of why Kapris was sprung if he had nothing to offer anyone?
The PNG Police Commissioner should indeed be taking a personal interest in the case and ensuring a full and legally water tight testimony is extracted from Kapris before any further information is 'leaked' to the public. The question of who leaked the Kapris confession should be the subject of a full investigation along with how Kapris was sprung from a maximum security  establishment. Nothing less than a full judicial review should be made and  quickly at that. The best evidence is always the freshest.
One cannot but observe the apparent duplicity of Mr Arthur Somare who has insisted the three high level helpers who assisted Mr Kapris escape must be publically named. Why would this be done before anyone has been charged? It would only help destroy the case against them by the Prosecution. On the other hand, Mr Somare jnr. has been amazingly quiet about getting to the
bottom of such other issues as the Motigate affair, the Taiwan millions and any amount of official corruption claims. Why is he so insistent about knowing who the claimed three accomplices are?
It could be speculated that if there had been a high level deal going, anyone who had been left out of the action might want to know who was involved? Whether that was to keep them quiet or to get a cut of the loot might also be a matter of conjecture?
_______________________

Who is threatening our national security?
March 2, 2010

By Kumbit Aivi

The recent highly publicised prison walk out and the subsequent recapture of suspected bank robber and notorious criminal William Nanua Kapris and his cohorts has brought to the fore at least two serious issues facing our country. While this walk out continues to pose a temporary physical security issue, the real issues that underlie a threat to our national security are vested in the circumstances surrounding the walk out and the state's ongoing responses to our law and order challenges.
Kapris has been adamant since his capture and detention that some benefactors of the activities for which he is accused, especially the two daring bank robberies, are high profile people in the community and that these people have since profited from the loot. If his claims are true, then this country is in serious trouble. That there are indeed people of high standing who occupy positions of great trust and responsibility are behind Kapris' life of crime is indeed a great cause for concern. This is the first
real national security issue that needs addressing immediately.
Police and other authorities within our justice system will be well advised to take heed of Kapris' allegations and do everything within their powers to disprove him. His revelations, if he did disclose anything at all, may well be a case of sour grapes since the law caught up with him and left him high and dry while his passive partners enjoyed the loot in relative peace and
security. Whatever his motive is for the attempt to now 'spill the beans' on his cohorts, a thorough investigation is required to get to the bottom of his claims.
Certain members of the disciplinary forces are clearly deeply entrenched in this particular case judging by the police uniforms and equipment that were used in the robberies and the unusual lapses in security protocol that lead to the walk out at the Maximum Security Unit at Bomana last month. These must be carefully investigated and the perpetrators brought to face justice
together with Kapris. There have also been insinuations about a possible involvement by certain politicians and bureaucrats which must also be investigated and the individuals responsible rounded up and made to face the law. It is in the interest of our long term security and well being that the state must act judiciously and swiftly to properly prosecute this case and set up a good deterrent precedent for the future.

Free phone calls over the Internet

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Today's Farm Report

From PAUL OATES
While we are getting some rain there's not enough runoff yet to fill the dams. Not like out west where the desert will bloom this year and Lake Eyre will probably fill.

Fungi are sprouting up everywhere and the cattle are doing well after only 12 years of drought.

Return of the Wau girl

BY OSEAH PHILEMON in The National

 

SHE paid her own way to fly from Brisbane to Lae to observe the first-ever Women in Business Expo held in the Morobean capital last weekend.

And she was impressed.

Sulam Abdelsamie comes from Wau in the Morobe Province.

She is married to an Egyptian agriculturalist that used to work for the Department of Agriculture and Livestock in PNG many years ago.

They both now live in Brisbane where Sulam runs two family businesses: one farming cooking herbs and the other a boarding lodge in the heart of Brisbane.

The couple has lived in Australia for the past 30 years after leaving PNG.

Her first business was a piggery but that did not last.

When the hydroponic herb farm came up for sale they grabbed the opportunity and are now producing all kinds of herbs for cooking.

Their main clients are the Coles supermarket chain all around Brisbane and North Queensland as well as northern New South Wales.

It has been a business she has been working on for the last two years.

Sulam also moved into the accommodation business running a small boarding lodge for travellers who wish to stop over for a short time or weekends.

“With family business you have to commit yourself 100% to it,” she said.

Sulam decided to come to Lae for the expo after hearing about it.

She said she happy that she did.

“I am very impressed.

“Times are changing and there are many opportunities for women to get out there and get themselves involved in business,” she said.

Next year the women in business expo will be staged in Port Moresby and Sulam says she will come back.