PNG government trust account controlled privately
By ROBEFRT PALME A PRIVATE individual has been a signatory to a Papua New Guinea Government trust account. And millions of kina from that account were paid to private consultants including payments to the signatory's company. The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee(PAC) revealed that the Konebada Petroleum Park Authority Working Group Trust Account (KPPWGTA) is operated outside the Papua New Guinea Government Computerized Accounting System (PGAS). The PAC report, tabled in Parliament last month, reads: "Effectively this trust money has been handed to private persons and is unaccountable. "We believe the purpose of this was to avoid scrutiny." According to the PAC, this person is not a delegated person to be a signatory for the account. It also reads:"It is notable that millions of kina have flowed to private consultants -including payments to the signatory's company. "The department Secretary has lost control of Trust management. No r