Potape released from prison

Jailed Komo Magarima MP Francis Potape has been released from prison today, after a successful Supreme Court review of his penalty.

A three-men Supreme Court bench quashed an earlier National Court decision which sentenced the leader to a year and a half in prison for misappropriation.

The high court ordered the case to go before another judge at the National Court, after finding technical irregularities in the ruling.

Potape was ordered to pay 1-thousand Kina bail, and returns to court in September.

The relieved MP says, its been a learning experience for the past seven months, thanking a huge crowd that gathered at the Waigani Court premises to witness his release.