ALLEGED MASSIVE FRAUD OF PUBLIC FUNDS IN WORKS DEPARTMENT & KOROBA LAKE KOPIAGO DISTRICT

by PETER HEWAGO

As proud citizens of this country, we applaud the concerted efforts of ONeill Dion Government for implementing its coalition partners' major development policies put together in the Alotau Accord. These policies are; better infrastructure, Tuition Fee Free education, Free Basic Health, Addressing Law and Order and the government's emphasis on SME to propel our economy in this trying times amid economic difficulties as a result of sliding world commodity prices putting strain to our National Budget.

These policies especially TFF within the rheem of education sector, infrastructure development and SME have stood out among others which have directly impacted lives of the people in most parts of this country giving glimpses of hope for better and encouraging PNGeans to be wealthy.

However, certain self-centred Members of Parliament (MP) and senior State Ministers have taken  advantage of the complacent and ignorant attitude of our people and have decided to work in contrary to defraud the state. These MPs are Minister for Works and Implementation, Hon Francis Awesa, Minster for Finance, Hon James Marape and Hon Philip Undialu, Member for Koroba Lake Kopiago. Instead of encouraging equal participation and wealth creation through proper established processes within the government's transparent framework, they have created a leeway to siphon people's money without leaving a trace within the governance frameworks. How dare our leaders do that to our people's money?

It is incumbent for these MPs as our mandated leaders to work in alignment with the Alotau Accord to serve the people with honesty and integrity but that isn't seems to be the case here. There exist an alleged massive fraud and conspiracy among these highly placed politicians and government officials within these aforementioned state departments have secretly  colluded and paid themselves fraudulently using public funds.

Let me give you a scenario to confirm this connections of alleged fraud and conspiracy between these three MPs. In September 30th 2014, a cheque of K15,116,204.00 (K15.1m) was deposited into Koroba Lake Kopiago District Treasury Operating Account # 1000931774. Most of these funds, according to BSP bank statements obtained confirms that large sum of cash has been withdrawn in cash over the counter by a person named Johnson Tiki Haguai. It is believed he is the District Administrator or Chief Executive Officer for Koroba Lake Kopiago District (KLKD). For instance, a cheque withdrawal of massive K2,687,000.00 million in cash was made against Cheque# 0001275 on the 23rd of March 2015. On the same day, an additional cash withdrawal of K600,000.00 thousand was also withdrawn over the counter by Johnson Tiki Haguai. A total of K3.287m altogether!

These significant amount of money withdrawn in cash is very excessive for a government official to handle leaves a lot to be desired.  Cash withdrawals should have been done in cheques to maintain transparency and accountability of public funds but has been done in haste. How can the district acquit this money? We assume that even though acquittals are done, how sure are they to provide a transparent report of this public funds when audited against impact projects on the ground? Records shows that most of the money were direct withdrawals done at will by few individuals who have direct link with people in Minister for  Works and the Finance Department.

I want to also point out a cheque withdrawal of K3.5m done on the 18th of May 2015 against cheque# 0001244. The question we should ask is; how can such amount of taxpayers money in millions is withdrawn in cash? Who was paid? Against which project? These alleged conspiracy to default taxpayers money must be investigated by government institutions. We cannot sit back and allow our corrupt leaders to continue rape our economy at this time when our country is facing global financial crisis.

This is seriously a secretive  conspiracy existing in Dept of Works, Finance Department and Koroba Lake Kopiago District. There is overwhelming evidences to substantiate our claim. We  noticed in our findings that Koroba Lake Kopiago District (KLKD) received a cheque payment of K15.1m deposited by Works Department against cheque No. 682530. We demand to know why that massive amount of money was deposited into the district account against which project? Did Works Department made a mistake? If not, against what impact infrastructure project did the Finance Department released that cheque? As concerned taxpayers, we are obliged to know these facts surrounding the disbursement of funds by the Works Department, facilitated by Finance Department  into KLKD Treasury Operating Account.

We demand the Works Secretary Mr David Wereh to immediately clarify this payment of K15.1m to KLKD. We also call upon responsible state entities and institutions to immediately conduct a thorough investigation into these disbursement of public funds and ascertain all these secretive deals are brought to light as it involves public funds.

The people of Papua New Guinea are demanding those few corrupt leaders and government officials involved to face full force of the law for conspiracy to defraud the state. We must stand together to weed out this massive corruption, abuse and misuse of our development funds at all fronts where this government is promoting. This government must go! We cannot afford to give this government another term in office! If we do, PNG can kiss goodbye! Enough is Enough!

Popular posts from this blog

HIGHLANDS FRAUD F*CKS RUNNING GOVERNMENT AGENCY,,,

Image
A Fraudster and unqualified person has been shortlisted for NEC submission for the position of CEPA Managing Director. The candidate in question is Jude Tukulyia. His academic credentials are subject to scrutiny. Further investigation is required to verify the authenticity and legitimacy of his qualifications, particularly the reported diploma in accounting, Bachelor of Laws, MBA from Divine Word and UPNG respectively. It is very suspicious and unprofessional  when the Minister for Environment Conservation and Climate Change, Hon Simo Kilepa, wrote to UPNG Vice Chancellor asking to confirm Jude’s questioned education qualifications. This very due diligence work is the core responsibility of the Public Service Commission and Department of Personnel Management. What authority does the portfolio minister have to write to the Universities? Dumbfounding indeed if one asks. Ulterior motives written all over the letter. This amounts to  Questionable Academic Qualifications of Mr Tukulyia.    
Read more

AUGUSTINE MANO PNG'S PREMIER CORPORATE CROOK

Image
by  MICHAEL J. PASSINGAN In a significant setback for Mineral Resources Development Corporation (MRDC), the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea has dismissed the company's appeal to stop criminal investigations into its dealings with landowner funds held in the Pacific Balance Fund (PBF). The court ruled that MRDC's appeal was an "abuse of process" and ordered the company to pay costs of the proceedings. MRDC, a unit holder in PBF, had taken legal action against the National Court's decision to dismiss its case, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter. However, the Supreme Court disagreed and held that MRDC's appeal was nothing more than an attempt to interfere with the police's criminal investigative process. The court found that MRDC had no authority to conducted its own investigation into the activities of the Melanesian Trustee Services Limited (MTSL), the fund manager of PBF, and that its actions were in violation of the Trust Deed
Read more

PNG, VERY RICH YET STILL A VERY VERY POOR COUNTRY

Image
by GARY MONDULAME Papua New Guinea (PNG), a nation blessed with abundant natural resources, continues to grapple with economic challenges that belie its potential wealth. The nation's economic narrative is a paradox—rich in resources yet burdened by poverty. The explanation for this paradox lies not only in economic mismanagement but also in deep-seated corruption that has permeated the political landscape since independence in 1975. Following its independence from Australia, PNG was entrusted to leaders who lacked a vision for a holistic national development. This absence of foresight is evident from the lack of long-term development plans that could have distributed the country’s wealth fairly across all regions and communities. Successive governments failed to establish foundational strategies such as building satellite townships or creating robust rural housing schemes. Instead, they resorted to short-term, reactive measures that did not foster sustainable growth. The nascent l
Read more

BLIND LEADING THE BLIND, WHY THE PNG ECONOMY STILL SUCKS

Image
Elizabeth Genia, Acting Governor Bank of PNG (BPNG) by MICHAEL JOSEPH PASSINGAN The economy of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is at a crucial juncture. Despite some signs of recovery, the country faces several structural challenges that continue to impede its economic progress. The March 2024 Monetary Policy Statement from the Bank of Papua New Guinea sheds light on these issues, providing a comprehensive overview of the economic landscape and the policy responses being implemented to navigate through these turbulent times. In 2023, PNG's economy grew by a modest 1.4%, a significant slowdown from the 5.2% growth witnessed in 2022. This tepid growth is largely attributed to delays in major projects and ongoing economic issues that have not been fully resolved. The anticipated growth for 2024 is around 3.0%, buoyed by the resumption of production at the Porgera gold mine. While this marks an improvement, it remains subdued compared to the potential of this resource-rich nation. One of the mo
Read more

James Marape's Missteps Openly Exposed at Australian Forum

Image
by  MICHAEL J. PASSINGAN  In a recent event that highlighted the complexities of international diplomacy and governance, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, faced a challenging situation during his appearance at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia. The Lowy Institute, known for its role as an independent think tank focusing on international policy, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, provided a platform for a candid assessment of Marape's governance. Following his formal address, Marape engaged in a dialogue with Dr. Michael Fullilove AM, the Executive Director of the Institute. Dr. Fullilove, a respected figure in public and international policy, scrutinized Marape's past promises and statements, contrasting them with the current state of affairs in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The discussion took a critical turn as Dr. Fullilove revisited Marape's 2019 speech at the same venue, where Marape had outlined his vision for PNG in a speech titled “A New Boo
Read more

MARAPE & PAITA ABOUT TO SIGN AWAY PNG GOLD

Image
By: Andrew Arthur Prime Minister Hon. James Marape and his planning minister Reinbo Paita are the parties behind the theft of all Papua New Guinea’s gold for the next 100 years! They have given approval for the STATE of Papua New Guinea to sign away all gold rights to an Australian paper company in Refinery Holdings PTE LTD. First, they have done the deal with a paper company even before there is a LAW that says they have the right to do the deal. We see how the real manipulation works out. Marape and Paita now need to get the law passed by Parliament. The law is before the Parliament to set up Papua New Guinea’s first National Gold Corporation. The National Gold Corporation Bill first surfaced in 2012 but successive Government of Sir Michael Somare and Hon. Peter O’Neill, in their wisdom, had refused to pass this Bill as there have been some sinister motives and constitutional issues associated with the Bill. The new bill will allow Refinery Holdings LTD PTE to own 70% of the National
Read more

A Call for Local Ownership and Fairness

Image
by JUSTIN PARKER In recent discussions surrounding the establishment of a gold refinery in Papua New Guinea (PNG), concerns have been raised regarding various aspects of the proposed project. Spearheaded by foreign investors, the initiative has sparked debates over ownership, exclusivity, tax concessions, underwriting, management rights, control over currency, legal protections, and historical failures. These concerns, if unaddressed, could potentially undermine the interests of PNG and its people, particularly the hardworking alluvial miners who form the backbone of the nation's mining sector. At the heart of the issue lies the question of ownership. The proposed ownership structure, favoring foreign investors with a substantial 70% stake, raises eyebrows, especially considering PNG's past experiences with failed ventures like seabed mining. Instead of ceding majority control to foreign entities, many argue that PNG should assert full ownership over the refinery. With the coun
Read more