BY ROMINAH FAKA
Ruling on the application to strike out the petition case against MP for Northwest Guadalcanal Francis Sade will be delivered today at the high court.
On September 19 MP Sade through his lawyer made an application in court to strike out the election petition case against him.
The ruling was supposed to be delivered on October 16 however, Judge Howard Lawry moved the ruling to be delivered today 1pm.
The grounds which the petitioner Dettke alleged against Sade is; election bribery which alleged on or about April 17 between 11am and 12pm at Visale station, an Agent and Supporter of 1st Respondent, committed the offence of bribery by giving to a woman of Ka’ar Village in North West Guadalcanal the sum of $100 cash, and instructed her to go and look for Sade’s symbol and tick it.
The second allegations the petitioner alleged against the respondent Sade is; interfering with voting. It was alleged on 17 April 2024 at Visale Polling Station, the 1st Respondent Sade, interfered with voting by sitting on a chair at the entrance of the Polling Station for almost 1 hour and shaking hands and talking with voters who queued and walked past to cast their Ballot Papers at that said Polling Station in clear view of the public.
Furthermore, for the second respondent (Returning Officer) for North-West Guadalcanal Constituency and third respondent (Presiding Officer) for Visale 2 Polling Station North-West Guadalcanal.
The allegations against them also relates to the interference or obstruction of the voters. The petitioner alleged that the second and third respondent who work during that voting day April 17 have seen the first respondent Hon. Sade sitting on a chair at the entrance of the polling station for an hour and shaking hands of the voters who queued to cast their ballot paper however, they did not do something about it.
Walter Rotumana from Rano &Company law firm represent the first respondent Francis Belande Sade and Attorney General Chamber represent the second and third respondent and Gabriel Suri represent the petitioner Bodo Heinz Horst Dettke.
