PNGBLOGS

By BRYAN KRAMER Short answer is NO . So why? The Supreme Court in the case Grand Chief Somare vs Chief Ombudsman Commission ruled a leader who is referred to a leadership tribunal is automatically suspended from duty from the date of his referral. In other words the exact time and date the Public Prosecutor writes to the Chief Justice requesting him to appoint the tribunal. This decision is based on Section 28(1) of Constitution "Where a matter has been referred to a tribunal the person alleged to have committed misconduct in office is suspended from duty." However in the cases of the Governor General, Chief Justice and Prime Minister they may only be suspended by decision of the Leadership Tribunal. This is because of the importance of the office they occupy. The Constitution Section 94 that relates to the GG, Section 182 relates to CJ and Section 142(6) the Prime Minister states that they "may be" suspended pending an investigation

By LEGAL EXPERT "Section 28 (1) of the Organic Law on Duties and Responsibilities of Leadership is that the person alleged to have committed misconduct in office is suspended from duty. Suspension is automatic. The so called precedent in Somare's case was wrong in law and not a proper precedent. THE ACTUAL WORDINGS OF S 27 (1) IS: Where a matter has been referred to a tribunal under Section 27 the person alleged to have committed misconduct in office is suspended from duty. So the normal and proper practice is that when the charges are presented to the Tribunal, the suspension automatically takes effect. The Somare precedent was wrong in law." The decision to suspend the then Prime Minister & Regional member for East Sepik Province Sir Michael Somare for 14 days without pay starting from April 4th 2011 was made by a three-member Leadership Tribunal on March 24th 2011. Three foreign Judges (from Australia, New Zealand & the UK) Roger Gyles, Sir B

By JASON K WAUGLE   PGK54.7 million allegedly claimed by prominent Law Firms in 2013 “based on political directives without the appropriate legal clearances from the Solicitor Gene ral or Attorney General” “The allegations that the payments made to Paul Paraka Lawyers fraudulently is denied out rightly and refuted,” former Deputy Secretary of Operations at the Finance Department Jacob Yafai (suspended at the time) told Sir Manasupe Zurenuoc the Chief Secretary to Government who was then acting as Finance Secretary in a letter dated June 23rd 2013. “The Department of Finance, of which I have served over almost 20 years under different secretaries does not pay or settle State liabilities, unless there is evidence of work done supported by statement of invoices or bills addressed to the State and appropriately cleared by the Line Departments including appropriate legal advice. A payment could be categorized fraudulent if the payments are made without any evidence of s

Triumph Heritage Empowerment (T.H.E) Party leader and Kandep MP Don Polye today (Sunday) said Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s continued occupancy of the office of the Prime Minister amidst serious allegations of misconduct is very destructive to the democratic principles and the country’s structures of governance. Mr Polye said O’Neill is not just an ordinary Parliamentarian but he is the Prime Minister of the country. “No Prime Minister of this country since independence has gone through such a great length to insulate himself from scrutiny and accountability,” he said. He added that O’Neill has a criminal warrant of arrest and a leadership tribunal hanging over him now. “These are not just mere allegations. Respective competent authorities have considered the weight of the evidence and have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute him. It is, therefore, an advance stage of the prosecution process,” said Polye. He said O’Neill has demonstrated that he would go

By BRYAN KRAMER Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has raised concerns that news of the public prosecutor's letter informing him about the referral was leaked on social media before it was officially announced. He also raised concerns that few individuals have been obtaining confidential information from government departments earlier before public announcements are being made. He said he was forced to call a press conference to address the issue after posts on Facebook from Bryan Kramer, who previously ran for a parliamentary seat in Madang province." He said an investigative team will be formed to investigate such practices. Before I provide a in-depth analysis of the Public Prosecutor's decision to refer Prime Minister to face leadership tribunal, canvassing the issue of his likely suspension, or dismissal from office I will first respond to the concerns and contentious issue raised by both the PM and his legal team of advisor's that his referral was controversially

AN ESSAY By: TUGUYAWINI LAITEPO Our beloved country Papua New Guinea, Usually stylized and called PNG land of the Unexpected is very unique and diverse as we all know. In recent times there has been much outcry from within sections of PNG against the Trans-Island highway proposed by the O’Neil government as well as the continuity of Tribal fights in the highlands region, specifically Hela Province, Enga and southern Highlands. Many have expressed their opinions for and against those issues and each individual has a right to their own personal opinions. It has come to this writer’s attention that many citizens’ views against the above mentioned issues trickle down to the notion of ‘Plesman, Uncivilised,’ attitude of the highlanders and citizens disdain for such behaviours in Port Moresby and PNG as a whole in this day and age. Many have noted that the highlands populace has yet to develop and stereotype them as being ‘Way back’ and still stuck in the Stone Age. This Paper will try its

BY MAPRIK BOB From the moment he was elected, the now disgraced Maprik MP John Simon applied a strategy that over the years has gotten many corrupt MPs off the hook. Peter O’Neill has long applied this technique successfully, as have many other MPs, including Anderson Agiru, Puka Temu, David Arore, and even that old horse, Peter Yama. One even wonders if Michael Somare, father of the totally corrupt Arthur Somare and founder of the National Alliance of which John Simon is a member, was one of Mr Simon’s teachers? The essence of the Strategy is to act like you’re the one angry about corruption and trying to fight it. You’re the anti-corruption fighter and it’s everyone else who is guilty. That’s the role that John Simon took on from the moment he was elected. Right after the 2012 election, Simon spoke before a large crowd outside the Maprik district office and laid down the law. Playing the role of the honest leader to the extreme, he impounded all government vehicles, h

BY JEROD OKUNDA There we saw him in the newspapers last week, flying in style once again. It was Peter O’Neill, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, emerging in Beijing, China, from his luxury executive Falcon jet for the APEC meeting. If you’ll look close, you’ll see the corrupt Rimbink Pato waddling beside him. There’s something wrong with this picture, and it starts with what kind of country we are. In terms of economic wealth per capita, Papua New Guinea ranks lows at 179 in the world (one giant reason why we don’t need more people in our country!). The GNP per capital averages a paltry USD $657 per person. In contrast, let’s look at Uruguay, a country that ranks 104 in per capita GNP, with an average $4,359. Yet, the President of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, ALWAYS does his foreign travel economy class on regularly scheduled COMMERCIAL flights out of Uruguay. Here’s the kind of plane President Mujica often flies on: What’s the deal here? Why is Peter O’Neil traveling

WARRANTS of arrest are expected soon on "a couple of fraud cases" involving members of parliament, police said yesterday. Investigations are in their final stages, says National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate head detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Damaru. He confirmed that 15 members of parliament are being investigated, the latest being Maprik MP John Simon who was arrested last Friday and charged with false pretence and official corruption. Although no names were disclosed to the Post-Courier, Chief Supt Damaru said more arrests would be made as investigators finalise their individual cases. He said the John Simon case did not require a lot of investigation. "If it is a simple straight forward case, it can be done very quickly but if the investigation is complex where investigators are required to travel around the country or get information from the banks for statements, it will take time," he said. Chief Supt Damaru said in recent tim

By MURPHY KWUANE Quite ironical to the much publicised hype of massive financial prosperity, unprecedented economic growth, overwhelming LNG benefits, and consequently highly improved standards of living, Hela has literally shifted in the opposite direction and plummeted back into the dark ages of its forefathers. There is unmitigated blanket chaos everywhere right across the depth and breadth of Hela from the Hela Opena Puluwape and Mariliwa ranges of Mt Tundaka and Mt Pagapua in the East all the way across the peripheries of Muller Rangers to the fringes of Lake Kopiago and Duna plains; and from the footholds of Mt Bosavi all the way across the Mt Haliago and Mt Gigira midranges of the great Gigira Laitebo custodians ,the Tuguyawinis; following the mighty Tagali all the way up to the Alu Pai lands of Mt Kare, Mt Tere and Mt Dini. Unwavering warriors armed with high powered military rifles are the order of the day roaming around the villages and communities unhindered, at

HELA province will soon have a full-time electricity supply following an agreement between PNG Power Ltd and Barrick Gold Corporation. PPL chairman Larry Andagali and Barrick PNG/Australia Executive General Manager Greg Walker resolved at a special meeting this week for the Porgera gold miner to supply 4 megawatts of electricity to PPL to reticulate to the people of Hela. Andagali said despite the people of Hela have been living in darkness for the past 23 years despite the commissioning of the Hides Gas to Electricity project in November 1991. “I am so pleased that I am in a position to finally make the Hela people’s dream a reality by having access to 24 hours electricity powered from their very own prophetic Gigira Laitebo gas,” he said. He added that it was not a mistake that Barrick had waited for many years to make available 4 megawatt of power. “It is only fulfilling the Gigira Laitebo prophecy,” Andagali said. He said according to the prophecy, the Gigira Laitep

HOT AIR?  BY SAM BASIL MP To the citizens of Papua New Guinea (PNG), before the 2015 Budget is announced, you would’ve been following several statements I released about the 2013 Budget, the 2014 Budget and its negative impact to PNG’s current state of economy. My commentary has provided visible evidence, further supported by intellects and reputable citizens in their long-standing positions within each industry, on the financial mismanagement of the economy by the current O’Neill-led government. The statements I delivered, on O’Neill’s running of the economy, was only to ensure that the Opposition gave alternatives to ensure we get best economic outcomes for our country and all citizens. This has fallen on deaf ears and eyes as PNG further moves to an economy on the brink of “meltdown” as the next budget will be far higher than the last two Budget deficits with no avenue to repay; the O’Neill-led government is to blame for this situation we, as a country, are facing financially