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Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea |
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
[IN THE SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE]
SCM NO 7 OF 2015
PEPI KIMAS, SECRETARY FOR LANDS & PHYSICAL PLANNING
First Appellant
BENJAMIN SAMSON, DEPUTY REGISTRAR OF TITLES
Second Appellant
HON DR PUKA TEMU,
MINISTER FOR LANDS & PHYSICAL PLANNING
Third Appellant
THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Fourth Appellant
V
ARUA LOA, ARENI IGO & LAKANI OALA
Respondents
Waigani: Cannings J, Kangwia J, Bona J
2015: 27th October, 17th December
LAND – customary land – whether National Court has jurisdiction to hear and determine a dispute as to whether land is customary land – whether judicial review proceedings in which the applicants sought orders as to a Special Agricultural and Business Lease constituted a dispute as to whether land was customary land.
The respondents applied to the National Court for judicial review of two decisions of the appellants (the Secretary for Lands and Physical Planning and other State parties) regarding a portion of land, of which the respondents claimed customary ownership. First, the appellants' decision to grant an Urban Development Lease (UDL) over the land to a third party. Secondly, the appellants' decision to cancel a Special Agricultural and Business Lease (SABL), which the respondents held over the land. In upholding the judicial review, the National Court quashed both decisions under review and declared that the land was customary land owned by the respondents, the UDL granted to the third party was null and void, the SABL (granted to the respondents, but cancelled) was restored and the grant of any interests in the land without the express consent of the respondents was null and void. The appellants appealed against the order of the National Court on 25 grounds, which fell into two categories: (1) excess of jurisdiction as the subject matter of the National Court proceedings was a dispute about whether the land was customary land; (2) errors of fact and law in finding that the land was customary land. The appellants contended before the National Court and the Supreme Court that the land had been acquired by the pre-Independence administration, so it was Government land and no longer customary land.
Held:
(1) The National Court has no jurisdiction to hear and determine disputes concerning ownership by custom of any land, including a dispute as to whether any land is or is not customary land. Such disputes fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Land Titles Commission under Section 15 of the Land Titles Commission Act.
(2) At the centre of the judicial review proceedings was a dispute about whether the land was customary land. The National Court exceeded its jurisdiction by hearing and determining the dispute.
(3) The first category of grounds of appeal was upheld. It was unnecessary to determine any other grounds.
(4) The appeal was upheld. The order of the National Court was quashed and the National Court proceedings were dismissed.
Cases cited
The following cases are cited in the judgment:
Anton Lavu v Nicholas Mark Thompson (2007) N5018
Arua Loa v Pepi Kimas (2014) N5849
Doriga Mahuru v Hon Lucas Dekena (2013) N5305
Golpak v Kali [1993] PNGLR 491
Musa Valley Management Company Ltd v Pepi Kimas (2010) N3827
Roderick Tovo Bibilo v Gerard Balbagara (2008) N3291
Ronny Wabia v BP Exploration Co Ltd [1998] PNGLR 8
Siaman Riri v Simion Nusai (1995) N1375
Sioti Bauf and Lavoi Nodai v Poliamba Pty Ltd [1990] PNGLR 278
Soso Tomu v The State (2002) N2190
The Administration v Blasius Tirupia (Re Vunapaladig and Japalik Land) [1971-72] PNGLR 229
The State v Lohia Sisia [1987] PNGLR 102
Thomas Taiya Ambi v Exxon Mobil Ltd (2012) N4844
Wak v John Wia (2008) N3356
APPEAL
This was an appeal against the granting by the National Court of an application for judicial review by persons claiming customary ownership of a portion of land.
Counsel
I Molloy & I R Shepherd, for the Appellants
Z G Gelu, for the Respondents
17th December, 2015
NATIONAL COURT PROCEEDINGS
THE APPEAL
(1) Excess of jurisdiction as the subject matter of the National Court proceedings was a dispute about whether the land was customary land (ground (e)). The appellants argue that the primary Judge had no jurisdiction to determine customary ownership of the land.
(2) Errors of fact and law in finding that the land was customary land (grounds (a)-(d), (f)-(y)). The appellants argue that the evidence showed that the pre-Independence administration acquired the land from the customary landowners in 1957, and that it was no longer customary land and that the primary Judge erred in drawing the opposite conclusion. They argue that the primary Judge should have found that:
EXCESS OF JURISDICTION
The Commission has, subject to this Act, exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all disputes concerning and claims to the ownership by custom of, or the right by custom to use, any land, water or reef, including a dispute as to whether any land is or is not customary land and may make all such preliminary inquiries and investigations as it deems necessary for the purpose of hearing and determining the disputes and claims. [Emphasis added.]
The Land Titles Commission is a specialist tribunal established by Parliament to hear these disputes. It has special powers to hear evidence and special expertise developed over [many] years of operation. It has the difficult task in many cases of weighing up oral evidence from interested parties of events which happened decades before against contemporary documents. Over the years there have been many cases and a considerable jurisprudence has developed in this area.
CONCLUSION
13. We will order that the parties will bear their own costs. The appellants led the National Court into error by failing to draw his Honour's attention to the jurisdictional problem in determining the judicial review. The appellants' inattention to the critical issue continued at the hearing of the appeal. Only one of the 25 grounds of appeal raised the jurisdictional issue. The bulk of the appellants' submissions was directed at the issue of whether the trial Judge had erred in finding that the land was customary land.
14. Any further dispute as to the status of Portion 2585 must be resolved by the Land Titles Commission.
ORDER
(1) The appeal is allowed.
(2) The orders and declarations of the National Court of 29 December 2014 in OS (JR) No 903 of 2011 are quashed.
(3) The proceedings OS (JR) No 903 of 2011 are dismissed.
(4) The parties shall bear their own costs of the appeal and the National Court proceedings.
Judgment accordingly.
________________________________________________________________
Ashurst Lawyers : Lawyers for the Appellants
Gelu Lawyers : Lawyers for the Respondents
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URL: http://www.paclii.org/pg/cases/PGSC/2015/69.html