PM Marape please clean up the National Housing Corporation

...National Court, and Auditor General, under the stewardship of John Dege (Managing Director), and Paul Isikiel (Housing Minister), NHC funds were routinely abused. Video: Small mercies, Dege failed in his 2017 bid for parliament on a People’s National Congress ticket Perhaps fittingly during the last gasps of the O’Neill regime, to the dismay of many, Magistrate Cosmas Bidar decided to...

Australia salutes PNG’s endemic corruption

...boats will, it is claimed, ‘significantly strengthen security in the region’. Dignitaries including Australian Federal Minister for Defence, Christopher Pyne, Minister for Defence Industry Steven Ciobo, WA Minister Paul Papalia, and Senator Lynda Reynolds, pose in front on HMPNGS Ted Diro in November 2018. Compounding matters, an indecent scrummage of senior Australian politicians turned up for a photo in front...

False Customs Declarations Underpin Illegal Cigarette Trade

...yet to issue any infringement notices against Goldensborough Limited or impound its two containers. It will be recalled that after the police and immigration raids against Goldensborough last month, its was Customs Commissioner Ray Paul who called a press conference to publicly defend the company, describing it as a legitimate business that pays its taxes. Mr Paul should now make...

Smoke and mirrors in cigarette wars

...had confirmed the Goldensborough cigarette factory at Eight-Mile was a licensed business and had evidently been operating legally as a cigarette importer for eight years According to Paul, Goldensborough had recently moved into manufacturing and had been given a customs licence. Paul described Goldensborough as a ‘legitimate firm’, ‘they pay tax and employ nationals’. Indeed, when media revisited the factory...

William Duma and the Manu Manu Land Scandal: The Full Story

The Manu Manu land scandal rocked the nation back in 2017. In response to the public outcry an Administrative Inquiry was launched at a cost of K2 million to taxpayers. While the inquiry report was tabled in Parliament on 13 April 2018, the public were denied copies of a report which they had paid for. Then, a month ago, it...

Global Fund program infected by health sector corruption

...as one example, the case of Mr Paul Dopsie, but there are many others that also illustrate the point. In November 2017, a special audit team from the Prime Minister’s Department investigated the procurement and distribution of medical drugs and other health supplies managed by the NDoH. The auditors found what they described as widespread failures throughout the medical supply...

Political Donations and Misappropriation

...Tracey Tiran was found guilty of misappropriating and dishonestly applying to her own use K500,000 belonging ultimately to the people of Papua New Guinea, through their government. The court found the accused, together with Minister Paul Tiensten, who is already serving two heavy sentences for misappropriation, and the convicted criminal Chris Halupe set up a scam in 2011 to obtain...

Facebook Witch-Hunt Deeply Sinister

...research* by Paul Flanagan and Luke Fletcher revealed that policy failures and corruption had ensured the massive PNG LNG project incredibly produced a net negative impact on PNG. The Prime Minister labelled this ‘fake news’. Under the impending Facebook witch-hunt presumably this research is the very type of ‘criminal’ activity which the Communications Minister, Sam Basil, is trying to ‘protect’...

Stealing the Public Wealth: Ghost Contracts

...fraud, such as transfer pricing and the fraudulent reduction in the price of public assets such as state land. Crime pays, how elites seize the national wealth   A case in point is The State v Paul Guli, Gogumi Kimin and Andrew Kama Alake [2017] N6839. On 14 August 2017, Paul Guli, Gogumi Kimin and Andrew Kama Alake were convicted...

Prisoner Release Scandal Requires Public Inquiry

...custodial sentence outside prison: Eremas Wartoto, misappropriation of K6 million. Arua Maraga Hariki, two counts of wilful murder. Paul Pisa, rape of a 14 year old girl Jeffery Yokopia, uknown. Philip Kikala, misappropriation of K1 million. Paul Tiensten, misappropriation of K10 mllion Dr Theo Yasause, murder. Chief superintendent Haraha Kiddy Keko claims ‘that of the seven prisoners, all except Mr...

Medical kit distribution highlights failure to reform

...against Paul Dopsie, an Executive Manager in the Department of Health. Global has alleged that between 2014 and 2016, Mr Dopsie demanded and received over K265,000 in ‘facilitation payments’ to secure the release of payments under their medical kit distribution contract. Global also claimed they were later persuaded not to pursue their allegations against Dopsie on the promise their contract...

The Wartoto crime spree remembered

Over a number of years the state’s coffers were looted by Eremas Wartoto, with help from senior politicians and public officials. The money fuelled a jet-setting lifestyle, luxury properties in Australia, and Wartoto’s numerous businesses, at home and abroad. The National Alliance stalwart was sentenced to 10 years prison with hard labour for his crimes. Bomana Jail Commander Haraha Kiddy...

National Housing Corporation: Still Rotten

Govt stalling on medicine reform as death toll rises

Media reports from around the country have drawn attention to the critical shortages of vital medicines in hospitals, health centres and aid posts. These shortages are causing unnecessary suffering and even death – especially among the most vulnerable; young children, pregnant mothers, the elderly and disabled. All of which could be prevented. PNGi has discovered that the government has to...

National Museum Chaos

...that have violated the Regulatory Statutory Authorities (Appointment to Certain Offices) Act 2004. In addition, internal government documentation accuse the Museum’s Board of Trustees of ignoring direct instructions from the Minister to organise a permanent replacement. The significant risk public agencies are exposed to when staffed by Acting heads was revealed in 2013 during the conviction of disgraced politician, Paul...

Yama loses over K22m in one day

September 1, 2017, was an expensive day for Madang Governor, Peter Yama, with more than K22 million slipping through his fingers in a single Supreme Court decision. In March 2016, the National court had awarded the Governor’s company, Yama Security Services Ltd (YSSL) K17,871,510 in damages and interest for breach of a contract between the security company and the National...

Wheels of justice turn slowly for Philip Siaguru

...the government purse and depriving basic services of vital funding. While there have been some heartening instances of high-profile public figures being brought to justice in recent times, Eremas Wartoto and Paul Tiensten are obvious examples, these cases are all too few and far between and represent nothing but a tiny needle in a giant haystack. There are still far...

Joseph Lelang

...Lelang has been a key witness in the prosecution of both Eremas Wartoto (2017) and former Minister Paul Tiensten (2013); has been heavily criticised in an investigation by Task Force Sweep (2012); and has himself been the subject of Leadership Tribunal (2013) where he pleaded guilty on four counts of misconduct in office. Since becoming an MP, Lelang has registered...

The State -v- Iori Veraga

On the 2nd of June, 2005, Iori Veraga was convicted of two counts of Conspiracy and four counts of Misappropriation, details listed below. According to the charges Veraga’s co-conspirators were Jimmy Maladina, Henry Fabila and Herman James Leahy and the offences took place between the 1st of September, 1998 and 28th of February, 1999. The case is one of very...

The State -v- Achilles James Peni

On the 5th of December, 2013, Achilles James Peni was convicted by the National Court of misappropriating property, namely K2.7 million belonging to the Autonomous Bougainville Government between the dates of 1st Dec 2008 and 31st Dec 2009. The National Court alleges that this criminal act was concocted and organised by the regional member for Bougainville, Fidelis Semoso, who is...

Elite network behind Paga Hill Estate

Peter O’Neill, Michael Nali, Gudmundur Fridriksson, Rex Paki, Jimmy Maladina, Dame Carol Kidu, Labi Amaiu, Tom Amaiu, these are just some of the names uncovered through an extensive probe that looks into the power players behind Port Moresby’s controversial Paga Hill Estate development, and their business partners. The investigation was conducted by a senior criminologist Dr Kristian Lasslett, who began...