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PNG former police chief sentenced to prison

Xinhua, July 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

Papua New Guinea's former police commissioner has been sentenced to three years prison after being found guilty for contempt of court on Friday.

In June, PNG's Supreme Court found former police commissioner Geoffrey Vaki in contempt of court for failing to execute an arrest warrant on PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill for alleged corruption.

PNG's anti-corruption watchdog chairman Sam Koim told local media on Friday that the decision vindicated the court's authority.

"To my knowledge, three years is the highest penalty for contempt ever in this jurisdiction. This is how serious the court has treated the police commissioner's refusal to execute the warrant of arrest on (the prime minister)," Koim said.

The warrant for O'Neill's arrest was obtained in June last year by fraud investigators over allegations he authorized the siphoning of millions of dollars in public cash to a law firm.

O'Neill has denied the claim and is challenging the warrant in a separate case.

Vaki is expected to appeal the decision. Endi