"I could sack all of you" Peter O'Neill
A JUDICIAL inquiry revealing a $300 million scam perpetrated by top officials and leading lawyers has provoked a sensation in Papua New Guinea, with Prime Minister Peter O’Neill warning that he may sack everyone in the Finance Department. He is seeking the support of the Australian Federal Police and of Interpol in a “high-level investigation” of the corruption, with initial funding of $1 million. He suspended Finance secretary Steven Gibson and his deputy Jacob Yafai yesterday. The 811-page report of the inquiry – which was conducted for the parliament by PNG judges Maurice Sheehan, a New Zealander, and Cathy Davani, and by prominent businessman Don Manoa – was injuncted three years ago by the law firm of solicitor Paul Paraka, who is named throughout the report. The report reveals a large number of bogus compensation claims made by and settled within the senior bureaucracy. And fresh information reveals that massive corrupt payments have continued, despite the comprehensive findi