Caption: (L) A happy Simon
Sanagke emerging after the national court decision with lawyer Nelson Saroa.
By MATTHEW VARI
Sunday, October 19, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)
FORMER Chief Executive Officer of the National Gaming and Control Board (NGCB), Simon Sanagke, was acquitted by the National Court last week Thursday of all charges laid against him over the misappropriation of more than K1.8 million.
All three charges laid against him of false pretense, had interest in a contract, and money laundering were all cleared as presiding judge and Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, ruled that the evidence was not sufficient to find Mr Sanagke guilty of the charges.
The charges were in relation to the state’s claim that Mr Sanagke had contracted a company, Sedema Tech Limited; he had interests in to conduct refurbishments at the Taurama Leisure Center in 2011.
The state produced two witnesses in Imelda Agon (current Acting CEO of NGCB) and Graham Osborne, a trustee of NGBC’s, Community Benefit Fund.
After the state presented its case, the defense cross examined the witnesses, whereby which after the state closed its case, an application was made by the defendant’s lawyer Nelson Saroa for a, no case submission, saying that what the state had provided was insufficient evidence to find his client guilty of those charges.
Based on the statements of the state witnesses the court viewed that the evidence it was not enough to find Mr Sanagke guilty of the charges and upheld the application.
This is the second time Sanagke has been acquitted- the first being in 2013 by the Committal Court Magistrate Cosmas Bidar when he had his no case submission upheld, only to be charged two days later leading to last week’s acquittal.
In a statement to the Sunday Chronicle, Sanagke’s lawyer revealed that his client will be pursuing damages against the state for malice prosecution for both instances he was acquitted- against the NGCB the complainant and the State for defamation of character and reputation.
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