Ngwele engages new lawyer, confident before trial

Member of Parliament (MP) for Ambae and Deputy Leader of Opposition, Jay Ngwele, has maintained his not guilty plea to three criminal charges during a pre-trial conference held yesterday afternoon in the Supreme Court.

During the conference, Judge Beverly Kanas Joshua moved the trial dates to August 25 to 27 this year.

The court was informed that the prosecution will call four witnesses, while the defense will call one witness during the trial.

Ngwele has recently engaged new legal counsel, Andrew Bal, to represent him in the case. The matter was initially handled by defence lawyer Nigel Morrison.

Ngwele and his defence team remain optimistic and confident as they prepare for the trial scheduled for August.

Ngwele faces three charges under the Penal Code [CAP 135] and the Leadership Code Act [CAP140].

The first charge is obtaining money by deception, contrary to section 130(3)(1) of the Penal Code.

Prosecutors allege that in July 2024 in Port Vila, Ngwele fraudulently obtained VT1 million from Pierre Chanel Tabideng by claiming he was selling a single-cabin Nissan vehicle valued at VT3 million.

It is alleged he requested a VT1 million deposit to secure the vehicle and assured the complainant that the vehicle would be shipped to Pentecost within a week.

The second charge is misappropriation of money, also under the Penal Code. It is alleged that on July 21, 2024, Ngwele received the VT1 million entrusted to him by Tabideng and later converted the money for his own use between 2024 and 2025.

The third charge relates to breach of duties of leaders under section 13(1)(a) of the Leadership Code Act. Prosecutors claim Ngwele dishonestly obtained and misappropriated the VT1 million intended for the purchase of the Nissan vehicle, thereby breaching his duties as a leader.

The charges stem from an incident last year in which Tabideng, a member of the Rural Development Party on Pentecost, transferred VT1 million for a vehicle that was allegedly never delivered.

Judge Joshua has extended Ngwele’s bail as the case now proceeds to trial in August, where both sides are expected to present their evidence before the court.