Court to sentence Pomio MP Tiensten

Pomio MP Paul Tiensten

FINAL submissions by lawyers before the sentencing of Pomio MP Paul Tiensten have been adjourned to March 19 by deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika.

Defence lawyer Francis Griffin advised the court that he needed court files to assist in making his submissions. 

Salika ordered the Probation Service to prepare a means assessment report and pre-sentence report for Tiensten. 

State lawyer Camillus Sambua  advised the court that prosecutor Anthony Kupmain, who was in charge of the case, was in Kokopo, East New Britain. 

Sambua said he would step in to assist in the matter since Kupmain was away.

Tiensten is on extended bail and will continue to perform his role as MP until the court hands down his sentence.

The National Court last year found Tiensten guilty of misappropriating K10 million of public 

funds paid to local airline company Travel Air.

Tiensten, from Sampon Village, Pomio, in East New Britain, was the Minister for National Planning when he committed the offence.  

The court ruled that Tiensten knew or ought to have known that his direction or directive to the acting secretary to facilitate the payment of K10 million was wrong.