PNC People's National Congress
I was clearly instructed by Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill NOT to pay Paraka Lawyers invoices. The Attorney General also asked for further assessment on the same invoices. I placed an immediate stop to any /all payments of these invoices on the 31st of October, 2012. This superseded all earlier instructions and exchanges in regards to this claim by Paraka Lawyers.
When I made reference to the Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill on the earlier letter of January 2012, with regards to some lump sum payments that had already been approved and taken place in early January by then Treasurer and Finance Minister Polye. The Prime Minister mentioned to me, that he had no knowledge of this payment approval, and this had happened without his consent.
I would like to put on record for all of PNG, that the four payments made by the Department of Finance, when I was the Minister, happened without my approval as the Minister for the Department and without the Prime Ministers knowledge or approval for these payments to Paraka Lawyers. I personally, after a very clear directive from the Prime Minister stopped the Department of Finance from making any payments to Paraka Lawyers. In the process of ensuring no payments had been made to Parake Lawyers, it became apparent that an officer below the Secretary of the department, had run four different payments. These occurred as follows: K14m in November 2012, K13.8m in December 2013, K6m in March 2013, K8m in May 2013.
Now, if the Prime Minister stopped me from dealing with Paraka Lawyers invoices and asked me to refer it to our State Solicitors, I doubt that earlier exchanges on the same claim would have been cleared by Prime Minister.
For the former Treasurer Polye, to alleged that the Prime Minister issued payment instruction on the Paraka Lawyers invoices, is totally contrary to Prime Ministers instructions to me not to pay. I have on record, a written apology by the staff member who facilitated Paraka Lawyers payments and his acknowledgement of his failure to adhere to my last instructions of not to pay Paraka Lawyers, until the Attorney General and State Solicitor clears all invoices. My instructions NOT to pay Paraka Lawyers, was directly from the Prime Minister. His instructions were very clear and not to pay Paraka Lawyers.
For Hon. Polye to sling mud at the Prime Minister, at the time of his decommissioningas Minister on the Paraka matter is something I contest here. Under my watch as the Finance Minister, the Prime Ministers attitude to Paraka Lawyers has been negative.
All of the items involving Paraka Lawyers, are the current subjects of investigation before the police. We have furnished all information, and my press statement here is totally consistent with my police statement.
I am compelled to defend the Prime Minister, because it is insinuated that the Prime Minister approved the payment to Paraka Lawyers. Infact on two occasions, the Prime Minister called me and asked why we were still paying Paraka Lawyers, on in January 2013, another on the night of March 17 2013.
That night in March, I was with Mr Augustine Mano MD of MRDC and a Daniel Korimbao from DPM. Both of these gentlemen heard the Prime Minister asking me of the payments to Paraka Lawyers, and why they had been paid, when he had clearly said no to paying Paraka Lawyers. I then called the acting secretary of finance and he denied paying Paraka Lawyers. He was on speaker and was heard by the same gentlemen, on his denial of payments. Next day I asked him to check these payments to Paraka Lawyers and he sadly denied the payment, despite him already paying the law firm without my knowledge.
Now the issue is…If the Prime Minister approved Paraka Lawyers invoices, why would he stop me in the first instance in October 2012 and be continuously on my back against paying Paraka Lawyers until proper clearance was given.
Paraka Lawyers invoices backdates my time, and the Prime Ministers time and Hon. Polye’s time. What ever happened when Hon. Polye paid a lump sum in January 2012, he will respond to. I know personally of the Prime Minister absolute clear direction not to pay Paraka Lawyers, his absolute disapproval and denial when he was referred to this purported letter enclosed in Paraka lawyers invoices. The Prime Minister has never given instructions for a K70m plus bills of Paraka Lawyers to be settle by the Department of Finance. This payment was made through a defective administrative process and we are now here discussing this issues that is heavily clouded with politics.
I ask all commentators to leave politics out of any debate and allow the merits of this case to be weighted in its civil or criminal proposition and for relevant authorities like Police, Task Force Sweep, Ombudmans and Courts to bring the matter to conclusion as quickly as possible.
Facebook, 26th March, 2014 4:56PM
Minister for Finance James Marape maintains that Prime Minister O'Neill has never issued instructions for the Department of Finance to pay Paraka Lawyers claims unless the
Attorney General clears the bills.
 |
| Finance Minister James Marape |
This stand was made by Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill, when I consulted him as to whether the PNG government were to pay Paraka Lawyers when the Department of Finance was presented with a Paraka Lawyers invoice for K36,083,599.65 on October 4, 2012.
I was clearly instructed by Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill NOT to pay Paraka Lawyers invoices. The Attorney General also asked for further assessment on the same invoices. I placed an immediate stop to any /all payments of these invoices on the 31st of October, 2012. This superseded all earlier instructions and exchanges in regards to this claim by Paraka Lawyers.
When I made reference to the Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill on the earlier letter of January 2012, with regards to some lump sum payments that had already been approved and taken place in early January by then Treasurer and Finance Minister Polye. The Prime Minister mentioned to me, that he had no knowledge of this payment approval, and this had happened without his consent.
I would like to put on record for all of PNG, that the four payments made by the Department of Finance, when I was the Minister, happened without my approval as the Minister for the Department and without the Prime Ministers knowledge or approval for these payments to Paraka Lawyers. I personally, after a very clear directive from the Prime Minister stopped the Department of Finance from making any payments to Paraka Lawyers. In the process of ensuring no payments had been made to Parake Lawyers, it became apparent that an officer below the Secretary of the department, had run four different payments. These occurred as follows: K14m in November 2012, K13.8m in December 2013, K6m in March 2013, K8m in May 2013.
Now, if the Prime Minister stopped me from dealing with Paraka Lawyers invoices and asked me to refer it to our State Solicitors, I doubt that earlier exchanges on the same claim would have been cleared by Prime Minister.
For Hon. Polye to sling mud at the Prime Minister, at the time of his decommissioningas Minister on the Paraka matter is something I contest here. Under my watch as the Finance Minister, the Prime Ministers attitude to Paraka Lawyers has been negative.
All of the items involving Paraka Lawyers, are the current subjects of investigation before the police. We have furnished all information, and my press statement here is totally consistent with my police statement.
I am compelled to defend the Prime Minister, because it is insinuated that the Prime Minister approved the payment to Paraka Lawyers. Infact on two occasions, the Prime Minister called me and asked why we were still paying Paraka Lawyers, on in January 2013, another on the night of March 17 2013.
That night in March, I was with Mr Augustine Mano MD of MRDC and a Daniel Korimbao from DPM. Both of these gentlemen heard the Prime Minister asking me of the payments to Paraka Lawyers, and why they had been paid, when he had clearly said no to paying Paraka Lawyers. I then called the acting secretary of finance and he denied paying Paraka Lawyers. He was on speaker and was heard by the same gentlemen, on his denial of payments. Next day I asked him to check these payments to Paraka Lawyers and he sadly denied the payment, despite him already paying the law firm without my knowledge.
Now the issue is…If the Prime Minister approved Paraka Lawyers invoices, why would he stop me in the first instance in October 2012 and be continuously on my back against paying Paraka Lawyers until proper clearance was given.
Paraka Lawyers invoices backdates my time, and the Prime Ministers time and Hon. Polye’s time. What ever happened when Hon. Polye paid a lump sum in January 2012, he will respond to. I know personally of the Prime Minister absolute clear direction not to pay Paraka Lawyers, his absolute disapproval and denial when he was referred to this purported letter enclosed in Paraka lawyers invoices. The Prime Minister has never given instructions for a K70m plus bills of Paraka Lawyers to be settle by the Department of Finance. This payment was made through a defective administrative process and we are now here discussing this issues that is heavily clouded with politics.
I ask all commentators to leave politics out of any debate and allow the merits of this case to be weighted in its civil or criminal proposition and for relevant authorities like Police, Task Force Sweep, Ombudmans and Courts to bring the matter to conclusion as quickly as possible.
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