BY JENNIFER KUSAPA
THE High Court has delivered its judgment on two separate petition cases on Monday 18th May.
This is the judgment on petition cases against Member of Parliament for Central Guadalcanal Peter Shanel Agovaka and Member of Parliament for South Choiseul Robertson Galokale.
With regards to the petition case against MP Agovaka five allegation of bribery was filed against him and first ground of bribery was dismissed during the trial due to the petitioner’s witness fail to turn up in court to testify before the court.
Meanwhile after the trial was conducted presiding Judge Justice Emmanuel Kouhota dismissed the four remaining allegations of bribery due to no evidence to prove the allegations.
In his judgment yesterday Justice Kouhota said the evidence provided is not of high standard of proof required in an election petition cases.
Peter Shanel Agovaka got 3,584 during the National General Election 2019.
Last year in May the High Court received 28 petition cases and under the new Electoral Act the court must hear and rule on petitions within a year of submission.
In relation to the petition case against the South Choiseul MP the court has allowed the petition and the winning candidate Robertson Galokale loses his Parliamentary seat yesterday in a High Court Ruling.
Justice Rex Foukona is the presiding Judge over the petition case of Galokale.
So far three constituencies will go through by-election following their lose of seats by their MPs.
Robertson Galokale is third MP to loss his seat after Moffat Fugui and Jamie Vokia also lost their seats previously.
