INSIDE THE SOMARE BRIBERY SCANDAL
by: PROFESSOR Kristian Lasslett In 2016 eyes turned to Singapore. Close personal friends of Sir Michael Somare were imprisoned, for among other things, defrauding the PNG public. It was claimed American national, Philip Doehrman, and his Singaporean wife, Lim Ai Wah, defrauded the country in order to bribe Sir Michael, his son, Michael Somare Jnr, and a number of Chinese business people. Understandably, at the time, coverage focused on the scandalous nature of the case, given that it implicated the country’s greatest political grandee in a bribery scandal. But the devil is in the detail. Image: Sir Michael Somare, one of the nation’s founding figures. For the first time, full access to the court decision is now provided. Delivered by Judge Hong, the decision features evidence which appears to show how elites amass fortunes, through practices that significantly increase the cost of living for the PNG public, and distort how national resources are applied. The case of