PNGBLOGS

BY STEVEN ANDRE Just like all the Queens Counsels lining up and exploiting all legal loopholes to defend Peter O’Neill’s personal criminal case at the expense of the PNG tax payers, this foreign once esteemed judge is running Peter O’Neill’s conspiracy theory. After repeated calls by reputable persons in the legal profession for him not to take up the offer in difficult times when the rule of law is clearly being tested by Peter O’Neill, the once esteemed retired judge Graham Ellis seem undeterred. He came to PNG to take up his newly appointed role as the head of an interim office created by Prime Minister O’Neill to replace Task-Force Sweep immediately after the appointment. Nobody knows, he must be still camping at a popular hotel in Port Moresby or running his office out of the Prime Minister’s own office where his new office would be conveniently placed at the height of serious allegations of corruption implicating the Prime Minister himself. Another retired judge, Warric

By BRYAN KRAMER Former Police Commissioner Sir Thomas Kulunga has filed an application for leave for Judicial Review against the decision of the PM & National Executive Council (NEC) that terminated/retired him from office. Kulunga's lawyer filed an urgent application in the National Court last week, but was only listed this morning (24/7/14) after short service on the State. Kulunga is seeking to be reinstated as Commissioner of Police. The central grounds of his case is that his termination/forced retirement by NEC was without proper cause nor was he given the right to be heard. Judge Gava-Nanu adjourned the matter to 7th August 2014 after the State failed to appear in Court. This recent development may chuck a spanner in the works in the PM's efforts preventing police from arresting him. If leave is granted and stay on Vaki's appointment then Kulunga may re-assume office and consolidate the force. It was Kulunga who wrote to the PM on 16

In what seems a relentless cycle of resource companies lining up to take a bite out of Bougainville, on Monday Nevis Capital Corporation purchased a 50% stake in Tall J (PNG) Ltd (see the announcement below). Tall J, is currently owned by Stephen Strauss, whose was the subject of a expose published via the MicroKhan blog in 2011, which includes a detailed response from Strauss himself (see below). According to the company press release Tall J has rights to pristine Bougainville forest with timber valued at $1.3 billion, in addition to mineral exploration rights over 255,000 acres of land. So what do we know about this company who has evidently purchased a large chunk of Bougainville? Not much. It has one subsidiary, registered in, gulp, Costa Rica, which focuses on the online gaming industry. From one swindling industry to another, it would seem. And the company’s website hardly inspires confidence, either. http://www.neviscapcorp.com/ But as long as government economic policy hinges

NATIONAL COURT ISSUES INTERIM STAY ON PM'S ARREST UNTIL SUPREME COURT RULES ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENCE AND  NATIONAL COURT REVIEWS DISTRICT COURT'S DECISION. On Friday 18 July 2014, the National Court Judge Gavara-Nanu granted leave (gave permission) to the PM for Judicial Review of the District Court decision refusing the Police Commissioner Geoffrey Vaki's request to set aside or withdraw the arrest warrants against him (O’Neill). In the handing down his decision Judge Gavara-Nanu issued the following orders (summarized). 1) The PM is be allowed to join Vaki's application for leave as 2nd Plaintiff seeking Judicial Review of the District Court decision. 2) Leave is granted to the PM for Judicial Review of the decision of the District Court on 12 June 2014 issuing a warrant of arrest compelling Fraud Squad Members to arrest the PM for allegedly committing the criminal offence of Official Corruption. 3) Constitutional question be referred to the Supreme Cou

The Students Representative Council of the University of Papua New Guinea has clarified on the recent student impasse at the Campus. The focus of the clarification is based on the event occurred on Tuesday July 8th where the SRC President Bobby Yupi clears his position, the UPNG Southern Highlands and Hela students positions during the student impasse. SRC president Bobby Yupi stated on a press release that since my swearing into SRC office, I have to the best of my able judgment and wisdom placed above all else prioritizing of my fellow student’s academic welfare. Bobby stated that under my leadership, we approached two inter-twining controversial issues (UBS Loan and the State’s acquisition of 10.1% share in the Oil Search Limited) of national significance without the academic semester (semester 1) being interrupted in any single way. It is stated that in the same manner the SRC was trying to address the Paraka Saga issue but few students instigated and turned everything around and

By Steven Mark  Over the last few months, there have been at least 2 protest gatherings advertised on the internet where hardly anyone came.  It is unclear who announced these marches or what organising they did behind the scenes.   But the damage is done and the O’Neill government is now confident that the anticorruption movement is weak, disorganised and of no threat.   The public that supports the anticorruption protest movement were demoralised by the protests that never materialised.   Those involved in coming up with these ghost protests placed too much false hope and made too little organisational effort to make the protests successful.  They seemed to think that advertising alone would bring out participants.   This is yet another example of the lazy, short-cutting, excessively optimistic, blind chance taking, triam tasol without any planning kind of attitude that has held our country back time and time again. “Hope without strategic planning is meaningless, strategic pl