The Magistrate Court is expected to deliver its ruling on the Prosecution’s application to revoke the bail conditions of the Vanuatu National Provident Fund (VNPF) General Manager (GM) at 4pm today.
Yesterday afternoon, the court heard from the Public Prosecutor’s counsel that GM Parmod Achary allegedly indirectly interfered with two witnesses – VNPF staff — by terminating them. The Public Prosecutor’s counsel submitted that there was an email from a senior officer of the Fund asking their two witnesses to withdraw their complaints against GM Achary.
The email was dated before the granting of the bail conditions on the 21st of March 2022 by the court. The Prosecution also submitted that although the email was dated before the granting of the bail, it had an impact on their two witnesses as it resulted in their termination.
The court asked the Public Prosecution to give sufficient evidences on how Mr. Achary indirectly interfered with the two witnesses.On the other hand, the defense counsel submitted that his client had nothing to do with the termination of the Prosecution’s witnesses.
Mr. Mark Hurley submitted in court that the two witnesses were lawfully terminated by the VNPF Board, not Mr. Achary. He said if the witnesses have a problem with their termination, then they have their rights to make a civil claim.
Mr. Hurley made references to an Air Vanuatu case in 2014, saying the VNPF Board did the same thing when they terminated the two Prosecution witnesses under the Employment Act.
“They lawfully exercised their power to terminate,” Mr. Hurley said.
