UPNG Pro VC in court for cyber harassment
The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr Mange Matui, has been committed to stand trial in the National Court on a charge of cyber harassment.
A further charge of misconduct in office against him was, however, dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
In his ruling yesterday, presiding magistrate Cosmas Bidar found there was enough evidence to commit Matui to trial, pending Section 96 administration.
The accused is alleged to have sent abusive text messages from his phone to a Sandra Kwabuna, after she stood him up on a date on October 21, 2017.
Police records of the subject text messages indicate that among other things, the accused called the complainant a “f*&$ing piece of shit“, “slut”, f*&$ing whore” and a “f*&$ing prostitute“, while telling her “don’t come to me again asking about your house.”
The matter has now been adjourned for Section 96 administration while the accused is currently out on bail.
Matui was cleared of official misconduct charges because the Court found that he had not benefited directly from transactions alleged in 2017.
It did not find any evidence that he had attempted to solicit sexual favors from a UPNG School of Law secretary in 2017 in exchange for using his powers to allocate her staff housing.
- UPNG Pro VC in court for cyber harassment - October 25, 2019