A LAWYER assisting the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the New Ireland Province was physically assaulted by a group of men who ambushed his vehicle on his way back from visiting an SABL site on Saturday, reports the Post Courier.

It is now reported to be the second assault case to have happened during the Commission of Inquiry in the province, the first assault also occurred earlier that day to a witness from New Hanover Island who gave evidence last Thursday.

The perpetrators are reported to be from other parts of the country and had been tailing the lawyer after he and his fellow CoI senior lawyer, were returning from visiting the SABL site in Kaot, 30 minutes drive out of Kavieng town.

Sources say the lawyer was driving the last vehicle of the CoI entourage, made up of senior lawyer Paul Tusais, Commissioner Nicholas Mirou, police personnel and landowners from the area, when a vehicle filled with the men, started tailing him and swerved in front of his vehicle to deliberately halt him.

“The lawyer stepped of the vehicle and the men set on him and proceeded to assault him, resulting in bruises and bleeding, before they hopped back into their vehicle and took off,” said one source.

He said the incident took the CoI by surprise who have no idea why it had occurred and it is yet to be established whether it is an SABL related incident or not.

The first assault occurred at the Kavieng Market when witness Marasel Mareleu was punched in the face by a young man involved in the SABL on the island, believed to be related to the shareholders of the landowner company that had engaged the Malaysian owned Jointland Limited to develop three portions of land under SABL on New Hanover.

He said he had been standing at the market when the young man, who is also his relative, came towards him and called out to him in a friendly manner before he punched him in the face, giving him a black eye before relatives intervened. The attack is believed to be related to the CoI into the SABL on the Island.

“Dispela samting i bin kamap taim mi bin tok aut long olgeta hevi bilong mipela long peles aninit long dispela SABL na ol peles lain i bin harim na tu ol dispel lain husait i wok long sapotim dispela kampani bilong meri China na dispela mangi i bin paitim mi (The incident occurred after I gave evidence about the difficulties faced by the people in the village under the SABL and the opposing supporters of the umbrella company and the Asian owner of the developing company, were angry which led to the assault),” he said. 

Mr Maraleu took to the stand on Thursday and gave evidence that there was lack of landowner consent and human rights abuse on the island of New Hanover by the foreign investor who he claims had moved many of the villagers off their land without building houses for them as promised.

He said he had then reported the matter to police who locked the young man in the cell over the weekend and the case was heard before the Kavieng District Court on Monday, and has been adjourned for the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, the two incidents were reported to Kavieng Police however Acting Provincial Police Commander, Oena Afeke said he is yet to be briefed by his Police Station Commander.

It is still not known why the lawyer was assaulted but if investigations establish that it is an incident relating to the Commission of Inquiry like the other assault incident, then it is a “disruption or disrespect shown to the Commission of Inquiry”. Under contempt of CoI charges of Section 11 to the CoI Act that carry’s with it a fine of K5,000 or two years imprisonment.