PUKPUKS HUMBLED A WIGMAN TO SURRENDER POGERA
by JAMES TEMO Anthony Smare Country Director of Barrick Gold in PNG has been a beneficiary and close family friend of Somare family for many years. Close friends and associates close to the two men confirm their very close relationship going back many years. It is no wonder Anthony Smare engaged Arthur Somare to start the negotiations with the Land Owners of Pogera when the lease expired last year. Somare was paid as a Barrick Lobbyist or the go between Barrick and the Government to ease tensions and allow for Barrick to keep the status-quo and run the mine without reviewing the licensing agreements. This has has not gone down well with Landowners who wanted to know why Arthur Somare was involved in yet another screwed up negotiations, remember Arthur screwed up the LNG project nearly selling out PNG. Firstly, Arthur mortgaged the State’s existing 18% shares in Oil Search Limited (OSL) to borrow heavily from Dubai based Arab financiers to finance the State’s equity in PNG LNG. Arthur