THE COURT REPORT
Anti-corruption crusader guilty of misconduct in office
...created doubts as to whether the last bastion of hope is wrought with corruption which the judiciary is supposed to protect and defend.” Political interference The fourth allegation faced by Mr Kramer was that he had, as Minister for Police. interfered in police operational matters resulting in the termination of Mr Paul Nii as Director of Police Legal Services. It...
PNGi INVESTIGATES
Paga Hill Water Frontage for K8,400 PA – Poh Dynasty Strike Another Bargain
...to the hill and its surrounds. So it appears they will also be left empty handed – a fact pointed to by the Institute of National Affairs’ Executive Director, Paul Barker. Image: Paul Barker comments on Paga Hill Paradise (Source: Facebook) PNGi put the following questions to Jimmy Poh via Lee Partners who are administering Twin Towers Development’s corporate filings....
PNGi INVESTIGATES
Fraud, corruption and mismanagement – a window into the failings of the DSIP system
...New Guinea. Each DDA receives K10 million a year in funding under the District Service Improvement Program. But, as the Institute of National Affairs executive director, Paul Barker, recently highlighted, there is a complete lack of accountability for how the Authorities use that public money. Governance oversight, transparency and checks and balance are supposed to come from the Department of...
THE COURT REPORT
Chinese Network Implicated in RPNGC Bribery Scheme
...Paul Bari and Sergeant Stanley Japele. In a surprise move charges against Bani were withdrawn at the committal stage by police. Senior Sergeant Terry attests that in return for dropping the charges, Bani would act as a witness in the state’s case against Sergeant Stanley Japele for bribery. According to Onne Bani the K50,000 payment to Paul Bari and Stanley...
THE COURT REPORT
Paraka ordered to pay K6.6 million to workers superfund
Controversial lawyer and aspiring politician, Paul Paraka, has been ordered by the National court to pay over K6.6 million in unpaid rent and interest to Nambawan Superfund Limited. Nambawan Super is PNG’s largest superannuation fund provider and is the owner of the Mogoru Moto building in downtown Port Moresby, where Paraka’s law firm was based from 2013. In June 2020,...
THE COURT REPORT
Christian Life Centre obtained fraudulent land title from NHC
...the court who at the NHC the defendants application was submitted to, and the letter of application contained only a reference to a “Mr Paul A” without stating who he was. The Pastor also did not say he was unaware of the plaintiff’s prior application for the lease or how he came to know the property was being sold. He...
THE COURT REPORT
Prosecution Alleges Paraka Directed Expansive Laundromat
...Berrigan, details were provided of an alleged money laundering scheme involving eight law firms. Justice Berrigan summarises its core features as claimed by the prosecution: “It is alleged that the accused [Paul Paraka] caused the law firms to receive the payments, remove their commission and then transfer the monies to two accounts in the name of PPL [Paul Paraka Lawyers],...
THE TOKAUT BLOG
Red flagged company wins new Duran Farm contract
...Nayabbanung, was also committed to stand trial for his alleged role in illegally signing over the land titles to PNG Resources Corporation. Police allege that Nayabbanung and former NHC acting Principal Legal Officer, Paul Pera, signed the contracts for the transfer of 301 land titles to PNG Resources Corporation Limited trading as Kwik Build PNG. It is alleged that PNG...
PNGi INVESTIGATES
Health leak reveals how major corruption investigations stall
...specific questions that deserve public answers: When granting leave for judicial review was the judge aware that Public Service Commission hearings into Paul Dopsie’s case were still ongoing? Does the Solicitor General stand by the legal opinion that the performance audit conducted by FTI was unlawful? Why did Detective Chief Inspector Simatab recommend the reinstatement of Paul Dopsie when police...
THE TOKAUT BLOG
Death toll climbs yet again as Health Dept reforms fall flat
...audit included details of corruption levelled against the Executive Manager Corporate Services, Paul Dopsie. In 2017, the Managing Director of a logistics company engaged by the Department of Health, alleged his company had paid K265,500 to Mr Dopsie in order to facilitate contract payments. The audit found the Health Secretary had not investigated the complaint nor referred it to the...
THE TOKAUT BLOG
Yama fails in latest bid to quash criminal charges
It is a familiar story, one that PNGi has reported on numerous times before. The nation’s elite politicians and businessmen using their wealth and position to mount numerous legal challenges to delay criminal charges or civil sanction. Peter O’Neill, Paul Paraka, Patrick Pruaitch and many more are all adept at manipulating the system to retain their positions of power, and...
THE COURT REPORT
Paraka fails again in his attempts to avoid justice
Notorious lawyer and serial litigator, Paul Paraka, has failed in his latest attempt to avoid justice over an alleged K162 million fraud, committed between 2007 and 2011. The National Court has refused to grant Paraka a court order to quash or permanently block the indictment against him issued by the Public Prosecutor. This is the second such decision by the...
THE COURT REPORT
NHC Targets Grieving Widow in Illegal Sell Off to Foreign Businessperson
...housing stock to wealthy business people or to politicians. This well established and legally inscribed mandate placed upon the NHC did not help Lae based nurse, Rose Katu. Ms Katu is a public servant of more than 45 years service. Since 1998 she resided at a NHC property in Lae, with her husband Paul Katu a policeman of more than...
PNGi INVESTIGATES
Australian Aristocrats and Sir Ted Diro at the Centre of ‘Massive Fraud’ Allegations
...and Sir Joh visited PNG in 1991, at the alleged invitation of Finance and Planning Minister, Paul Pora. The Deputy Prime Minister at the time was Sir Ted Diro, though there is no suggestion at this stage he had any direct involvement with Lord Peter or Lady Beverley. Murray Merchant Pacific Bank promised to invest A$278 million in PNG. Among...
THE COURT REPORT
Court dismisses Paraka’s bid to avoid justice
...a guilty verdict being passed slowly, slowly decreases. Not necessarily because the accused is innocent, but because the tools which a prosecutor needs to meet the high evidentiary threshold for proving criminal guilt have gone blunt over time. Which is why the current tactics being employed by controversial lawyer and would-be politician Paul Paraka, whatever his intent, are in effect...
THE TOKAUT BLOG
Key facts behind mysterious plane crash
...records indicate GAS is not the current owner. According to Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority records, the current registered owner of the Cessna aircraft VH-TSI, is Ravenpol No. 69 Limited, a company based in Port Moresby. According to the records of the Investment Promotion Authority, Ravenpol No. 69 is a company owned by a Geoffrey Paul Bull. According to the...
THE COURT REPORT
Rent arrears stacked up while Paraka ran for Parliament
In 2017, controversial lawyer Paul Paraka, tried to wrest control of the National Capital District from the incumbent governor, Powes Pakop, by contesting the NCD regional seat in the National election. Meanwhile, unbeknown to voters, Paraka was running up a huge debt in unpaid rents for his legal offices in downtown Port Moresby. Paraka’s landlord, Nambawan Super Limited, is PNG’s...
PNGi INVESTIGATES
Farmers Swindled out of K2 Million by Dept Secretaries
...own or have any interest in any coffee plantations in the Waghi Valley‘. Its original shareholder structure included Paul Kerenga Ansphill (20%), George Lance Pera (20%), John Michael Poro (20%), Paul Enny Murung (20%) and Mathew Wela Kanua (20%). Later on 13 July 2004, Paul Kerenga Ansphill and George Lance Pera transferred their shares to Valentine Kambori. This created the...
PNGi INVESTIGATES
Durand Farm: Dodgy Deals and Dashed Dreams
...for the housing development at Durand Farm. Housing Minister Paul Isikiel informed a press conference: ‘The Durand Farm will deliver 2500 houses annually per contractor, or if we engage 10 contractors simultaneously then it’s multiplied by 10 until we deliver 40,000 new homes to our population by 2020’. K7 million was assigned by the government for procuring civil works equipment...
PNGi INVESTIGATES
PNG Architect Defeats Malaysian Timber Dynasty
...Nepal. Its shareholders and directors, who have all since passed away, were: Kakau Biribudo (PNG) Evan Gill Iewago (PNG) Paul Nari (PNG) Kajeem Ghotane Gurung (Nepal) Former athlete Evan Iwago, and Paul Nari, appear to have been fairly small-time businessmen, with a modest commercial footprint. Kakau Biribudo had a wider range of interests in logging, palm oil, and resource extraction,...
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How a murky foreign outfit attempted to bankrupt PNG
...first registered as a PNG company in 2003. The company’s shareholders and directors were Winnie and Paul Michael Japhlom. ‘Forestry’ was listed as the company’s principal business and its registered address was Room 1001, 10th Floor, Pacific View Apartments, Korobosea. In January 2004 the Japhlom’s were joined on the Board by the Australians Paul Soden and Michael Purcell. Purcell only...
THE COURT REPORT
ONeill, Paraka and a Senior Whistleblower
In December 2018 charges against controversial lawyer Paul Paraka were dismissed by the Magistrates Court. A fresh prosecution has now been successfully instated on a single count of misappropriation. During the interim period, Paraka claimed ‘I will prosecute those bastards myself’. He was referring to those who had mounted the original criminal case against him. One individual in particular was...
PNGi INVESTIGATES
Is the net finally closing in on Isaac Lupari?
...million in out of court settlements, as the Commission of Inquiry into the Department of Finance revealed in 2009. Paul Paraka’s law firm assisted Lupari in making his fraudulent legal claims and received K800,000 from the State for ‘doing a minimal amount of work’. Lupari was assisted in making his claims by Paraka lawyers, who the Commission of Inquiry said...
THE TOKAUT BLOG
Eastern Highlands Grandee Smith-Kela Implicated in Trust Account Plunder
...Finance and Paul Makeso, Acting Treasurer in the Provincial Administration. Image: The Ombudsman Commission has published its findings in a lengthy report. The trust account was opened on 20 August 2009 with the Bank of South Pacific, Goroka Branch, at Cathy Ali’s request; she ‘assumed and exercised ministerial powers she did not have’. Account signatories included Mr Makeso, and the...