Fact-Checking the Kramer Allegations

Outspoken MP for Madang, Bryan Kramer, has again been sending shockwaves through Waigani, with allegations of a potential grand scale rort, that lands at the Prime Minister’s front-door.

The backdrop centres on an official report produced on the damages to Parliament caused by security force riots, following unpaid APEC allowances. The report estimates the damage to Parliament at K8.5 million, the largest slice of which is to pay for repairing lifts. K3.3 million in total.

This figure was provided by Port Moresby Lift Services Limited, with an ‘independent’ review being conducted by Simac Ltd. When Kramer went to investigate he found, Port Moresby Lift Service operated out of a small office in parliament. It evidently moved in during 2011. And it has one alleged client. Parliament.

Kramer claims:

Port Moresby Lift Services a shelf company owned by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s family relative/half brother Peter Yamuna, set up office in Parliament House soon after O’Neill illegally took office Prime Ministership in August 2011. The company has only one client, the Parliament House.

Is Kramer right?

Image: Screenshot of Kramer’s facebook page where the allegations are contained.

We did a bit of open source intelligence sleuthing to see if we could verify or refute Kramer’s allegation.

First stop, corporate disclosure documents at the Investment Promotion Authority. The company is indeed fully owned by Peter Yamuna who was born on 16 September 1964.

We then noticed something interesting, Peter Yamuna uses the following postal address in a number of his companies: Po Box 321, University, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea.

This same postal address is used by Wandi Yamuna in a large number of companies he is connected with.

Image: Peter Yamuna’s postal address used for his role in the National Lifts Company (now known as Scope Ltd)

Image: Wandi Yamuna’s postal address as Director for Goldminex Resources (PNG) Limited

Wandi Yamuna was slammed in the Commission of Inquiry into the Investment Corporation of PNG. During his short period as Managing Director of the Investment Corporation, Justice Sawong claims Yamuna:

misappropriated K483,600 by illegally paying PMFNRE [Port Moresby First National Real Estate] which is owned or controlled by Peter O’Neil[l], alleged to be his first cousin for absolutely no work done. Therefore, he is jointly and severally liable for misappropriation of that amount.

This is an interesting detail indeed, which lends credibility to Kramer’s claim that Peter Yamuna is a relation of Peter O’Neill (i.e. Peter Yamuna shares close links to Wandi Yamuna, who appears to be O’Neill’s first cousin).

The only hit we have for Peter Yamuna in PNGi’s database of anti-corruption reporting, relates to the NPF Commission of Inquiry, where it was claimed Peter Yamuna had an office in …  drum roll …Port Moresby First National Real Estate, a firm alleged to be owned by Peter O’Neill.

Not only that it is claimed in the NPF Commission of Inquiry hearing transcripts that Peter Yamuna provided security services for Port Moresby First National Real Estate.

———

Image: Evidence of Joseph Kup, former accountant with Port Moresby First National Real Estate Limited

———

This is yet another link tying Peter Yamuna to the Prime Minister.

But is Port Moresby Lift Service a shell company as Kramer claims?

Well unfortunately the company has failed to submit an annual return since 2011, so straight off the bat the company’s sole director, Peter Yamuna, should be prosecuted for a breach of the Companies Act 1997 for failing to meet financial disclosure requirements.

———

Image: Companies Act 1997

———

In this outdated annual return, it indeed states the company has total assets of K100 and NIL employees.

In short PNGi’s assessment  indicates the Honourable Member for Madang is justified in calling foul on this one, there is much smoke. Determining whether there is fire, will require forensic investigation of the records relating to this firm and the government.