PNG Gaming Board CEO Committed to Trial Over Alleged Justice Interference
A Papua New Guinea court has ordered the chief executive officer of the National Gaming Control Board (NGCB), Imelda Agon, to stand trial on charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and abuse of office.
Magistrate Paul Puri Nii, presiding at the Waigani Committal Court, ruled that sufficient evidence exists to send the 53-year-old Agon—of Putsipai village in Kavieng, New Ireland—to the National Court. “Evidence is sufficient to commit the defendant for the offence of attempting to pervert the course of justice under section 136, and for the offence of abuse of office under section 92(1) of the Criminal Code Act,” he stated.
According to police, on February 12, Agon used her official position to issue a directive on NGCB letterhead ordering No 1 Lotto to halt operations. At the time, a separate case involving an NGCB employee—charged with wilfully damaging the company’s operations—was pending before the same court.
Agon’s legal team argued there wasn’t enough proof to justify a trial, insisting that committal hearings demand a “proper and reasonable assessment” of whether evidence meets the legal elements of each charge. However, prosecutors countered that Agon’s public notice unlawfully intimidated state witnesses, preventing them from testifying.
Magistrate Nii agreed with police, finding that the notice “was prejudicial to the rights of police informants” and hindered the investigation. “In summary, I rule in favour of the police evidence,” he said. “Hence, the defendant has a case to answer in the National Court.”
Agon is scheduled to return to court on October 13 for a Section 96 declaration statement.
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