RAMOI CONFUSED BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION

by BRYAN KRAMER MP

I write in response to false and misleading article authored by Sonja Ramoi under the heading "PNG Opposition Politicians connection in the lucrative PNG Security Industry & Paladin Affair - Part 1"

Firstly, it's important to note that Ms Ramoi and I were administrators of PNG News Facebook news page back in 2014, a closed group boasting some 171,000 members.

However in 2015, she was removed by the other administrators concerned over her misleading and reckless reporting. An issue that was highly problematic in exposing the administrators to the risk of legal proceedings over her malicious and defamatory articles.

Concerns were also raised over her obsessive compulsive behaviour towards PNG Politicians, specifically mix-race Members of Parliament.

An obsession that started with Peter O'Neill in 2012, however after he took out defamation proceedings against her Mrs Ramoi focused her attention on Sam Basil Member of Wau Bulolo and later Governor of Oro Gary Juffa.

Unfortunately for me, after my election in 2017 it appears I've now reluctantly been added to that same list.

Back to the issue of the claims made in Mrs Ramo'si article.

Mrs Ramoi said:

"I started looking at Paladin in January last month, especially to establish exactly what connection Opposition politician Bryan Kramer and his Australian expatriate business partner Christopher (Chris Carroll) may have to security service provider PALADIN HOLDINGS PTE LIMITED and or Paladin Solutions."

"At the time, I was told: “Carroll is Paladin” “He’s the head of Paladin”

"Is Christopher Carroll or any of his companies contracted in any way to the Paladin Group?"

"How is Tactical Solutions International (TSI) – another security company owned by Christopher Carroll – connected to Paladin?"

TSI is a company that, I was informed last month, is “doing Manus”.

It was alleged – possibly incorrectly - that Bryan Kramer also owns TSI.

"It was also alleged that he is the biggest beneficiary of the Manus and Paladin deal."

My Response:

This is perhaps the dumbest piece of investigative reporting I've come across. Mrs Ramoi's article is full of baseless assumptions, mere speculations and contradictions.

This is confirmed by the fact she says it's alleged but possibility incorrectly that I also own TSI - in other words she has no idea what she is talking about.

Further, evidence of her obsessive compulsive behaviour is her admission that she only started looking into Paladin saga last month "especially" to establish what connection I had to do with the Paladin Saga.

For Mrs Ramoi's benefit I will dumb down my responses to YES or NO answers for her to easily comprehend.

1) Is Chris Carroll head of Paladin? No
2) Is Chris Carroll my business partner? No;
3) Was Chris Carroll or his company TSI contracted to Paladin Group? No
4) Am I a beneficiary of Paladin Contract? No.
5) Do I have shares in TSI? No.
6) Am I an employee of TSI? No.
7) Did TSI or Paladin fund Opposition during formation of Government in 2017? No.

Did Mrs Ramoi provide any actual evidence? Again, No.

So the only issue to explain is my interest in a company called Black Hawk International Ltd.

A company I set up in 2013, it is a shelf company, in that it has never traded, nor does it have any contracts, assets or employees. It is literally a company that exists on paper in a folder sitting on the shelf (hence the term shelf company)

Why was it set up?

Well back in 2013 after I exited Black Swan as a Director I entered into discussion with Chris Carroll to setup a specialized security company.

Why?

I know Chris Carroll as a good friend, he is a UPNG graduate, who traveled overseas and was trained in specialized security services. He is hardly an Australian Expatriate as claimed by Mrs Ramoi. His mother is from Namatanai and his father is Australian. He was raised in Namatanai where his mother and siblings still reside.

He set up his company TSI in 2011, it is 100% PNG owned, employs several hundred Papua New Guineans. So I'm not sure what the scandal is?

Any suggestion that I'm somehow connected to Paladin Saga is laughable, a term that would also best describe Mrs Ramoi investigative skills.