Life in the Highlands of PNG

Photos compiled by Chief Tsak Pembe

A Chinese firm buys 50% of Porgera Gold Mining in Papua New Guinea

By Lungu Roxi, The Enga Politics Page, Facebook (28/07 /2016)
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A 50% of Porgera Gold Mine Sold to a Chinese firm for $298million – Why couldn’t Enga Provincial Government (EPG) buy it when Enga Children's Fund (ECF) is over K800million worth in market capitalization?

In the time of Michael Somare as PM, it is believed that the EPG in association with several key Porgera Landowners (PLO) deposited K50 million in an Australian bank as term deposit to secure loan for the full amount to buy off 50% of the equity from Barrick.

The K50million is believed to be taken from Mineral Resources Enga (MRE) which manages the 2.5% EPG equity and 2.5% PLO equity in the Porgera Gold Mine (PGM). From the outset it sounded a great strategic move to increase stake in the PGM for the benefit of Enga people.

During the reign of Somare, Sam Abal was the Deputy PM and Don Polye Treasurer, were the key figures in the kitchen cabinet. It was rumoured that these two Engan MPs intercepted the deal to buy the 50% shares in PGM and discovered so much rot where certain individuals were to immensely benefit from the deal at the expense of the Enga people.

KELLY NARU –PHILANTHROPIST OR ROBIN HOOD?

By Stanley M (Former National Parliament Staff) post on PNGBLOGS
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Many people were wondering this lawyer-philanthropist-come-politician has standing in the nation, worthy of the bible verses he nit-picked on Friday 22nd July to sway the support of Members to Peter O’Neill. He argued that the judiciary was unconventionally interfering with the functions of Parliament and so Parliament had to put up a similar fight.

But not many are aware of the past of Kelly Naru, a rich lawyer who was dubbed by many as a philanthropist. He dished out cash to people in need prior to becoming a politician. Was he genuinely generous or was it a vote buying bribery exercise he was carrying out prior to standing for public office? Interestingly, all those generosity ceased since he became the Governor of Morobe.

Where did Kelly Naru get all those monies from? We know lawyers do make a lot of money but we also know that some of them make money through illegitimate means like the controversial Paul Paraka.

MRDC responds to allegations of funding the Government camp in Alotau

BY: Anonymous, PNGLOOP
10:02, July 24, 2016

The board of the Mineral Resources Development Company has slammed allegations made by Sinasina-Yongomugl MP Kerenga Kua on the FM 100 Talk Back Show last Wednesday (July 20).
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“It is with much disappointment that the Board of MRDC is placed in a position where it is forced to respond to comments implying that the managing director of the Company withdrew funds, which are under trust management arrangements, for purposes of facilitating the Government’s meetings as well as the political developments in the last seven days,” MRDC said in a statement.

The Company “rejects outright the allegations made against the office of the managing director which are baseless and devoid of any truth. Furthermore, the Board reserves its right to seek legal redress for the slanderous and defamatory allegations levelled against the Company”.

Future Papua New Guineans Will Pay For O’Neill Reckless Borrowing

By PONOWI SIWI REMO

WHEN PEOPLE NEED TO BORROW OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY FAST, THEY ALWAYS PAY THE PRICE:
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They get less money at more cost and this is what Peter O'Neill is doing right now. He's not mortgaging PNG's wealth, he will be destroying it.

China is a massive sea of humanity, 1.35 billion out of the total world population of 7.4 billion. Much of China's land is desert. There is a massive concentration of population along the coasts and fertile river valleys. As the population has continued to grow, land has become more short, and people struggle just to grow enough food to eat. The massive rural impoverishment has caused a spillover into urban areas. People are packed like tinned mackerel in many of the cities. They have virtually no living space and certainly will never own any land. They will never own their accommodation in most cases, unless it is a tiny little apartment where an entire family is packed. Think of how you would feel if you were forced to live under such conditions and your whole life's prospects were to continue living like a tinned fish until you die.

This situation is what creates the massive spillover effect these days of Chinese onto the rest of the world. Chinese desperately need massive amounts of natural resources as well. It has a terrible track record for environmental protection. The Chinese government, through its many resource extraction business arms, rubbish the land into what can only be called deserts. The impact can be seen everywhere, the effects of the land is intense, and one can only imagine the level of destruction that will occur when the "Chinese way" of mining, logging, doing large scale agriculture and the like is transferred over to Papua New Guinea with its steep slopes, high rainfall, and unstable, earthquake, volcano and rain punished ground. Chinese concern for workers safety is close to nonexistent in mining operations. Whenever you see people all around you like ants gathered around dropped food, it is hard to treasure an individual life compared to when you live in a low population density

PNG Police Commissioner Gary Baki closes fraud office

The police commissioner has announced to media that he has directed for a temporary closure of the fraud office.

Commissioner Gari Baki says that he has taken the stance to regain command and control of the police force.

He says the decision today by the courts to reinstate Matthew Damaru sets a bad precedence that if any officer is aggrieved by a decision that is made by any commanding officer, he or she can run to the court and stay the decision of the suspension even if the officer has committed a criminal offence.

Baki says this matter is purely administrative and should have been handled as an internal matter within the organisation.

PNG Corruption Investigation leader Mr Damaru reinstated by the Courts

By Christine KILDI (Legend FM News)

The Waigani National Court in Port Moresby stayed the suspension of Fraud and Anti-corruption Director Mr Matthew Damaru today, upon an urgent court application by his lawyer and Queens Council Mr Greg Egan.
The urgent court application which was filed yesterday surrounding the risk of fraud files being tampered with while Mr Damaru was on suspension. Mr Egan when presenting the submission added that Mr Damaru has been spear heading the investigations into the K71.8m Paul Paraka Saga and other corruptive activities in the country; therefore it is a matter of urgency and paramount interest that Mr Damaru resumes his office immediately.

Meanwhile lawyers representing the police commissioner and the state requested for more time to look into the submissions made by Damaru’s lawyers as they claimed, they did not receive the submissions and needed ample time to make their submissions. However, Justice Allen David saw the urgency in allowing Damaru to resume his office for the sake and safe keeping of the fraud files.

The court also restrained the police force from threatening any of the fraud squad members and not to interfere with investigations.

PNG's Anti-Corruption Fraud Squad Director Mr Mathew Damaru and his Deputy Thimothy Gitua plus 4 other officers spear-heading the investigation into huge sums of money missing through bogus and corrupt deals have been suspended the Police Commissioner.

By BRYAN KRAMER

This morning the Supreme Court three man bench (3 judges) handed down a unanimous (all in agreement) ruling dismissing Appeal proceedings SC87 of 2014 filed by Minister of Finance James Marape.

Marape filed the SC87 Appeal challenging an earlier ruling of the National Court that refused the Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Marape's application (request) preventing Police from arresting them in relation to the illegal payments of K71.8 million to Paraka Lawyers.
So what does it all actually mean?

In short, the Supreme Court in the course of the above proceedings issued an interim stay (temporary stop order) preventing Police from arresting Marape and O'Neill including his lawyers and staff until it made a final ruling.

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled against them dismissing the case it means the interim stay order issued in those proceedings have also been discharged (no longer in force).
So can the Prime Minister or Marape file further proceedings?
No. Once an appeal has been determined by a three man bench or more of Supreme Court it is final. They may file a slip rule application but it would serve no effect. However further appeal proceedings are no longer available to them.

PNG Supreme Court judge Sir Bernard Sakora with judicial corruption by police

PNGBlogs

12/04/2017

Anti-corruption police in Papua New Guinea arrest one of the country's top judges and charge him with judicial corruption.

Bernard Sakora being brought into Boroko Police Station in Port Moresby. (Credit: ABC)

Anti-corruption police in Papua New Guinea have arrested one of the country's top judges and charged him with judicial corruption. 

Police said Supreme Court judge Bernard Sakora accepted a 100,000 kina ($45,000) payment in 2009 from a company linked to Paul Paraka Lawyers, a law firm accused of defrauding the PNG Government of millions of dollars via inflated legal bills. 

The director of PNG's National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate, Matthew Damaru, said his officers came across the payment while investigating the complex and long-running case. "The arrest is a result of ongoing investigations to the payment of legal bills to Paul Paraka Lawyers where this payment to the judge was discovered and the investigation conducted into the payment made," he said. "He [Bernard Sakora] denied receiving the money." 

Papua New Guinea Government Borrows Over Half a Billion Kina to Stay Afloat

Bryan Kramer
THE VOICE Of PNG, Facebook
(March 01 at 1:25)

O'Neill Government borrowed a further K654 million in the last two weeks to stay afloat. The funds were raised through auctioning of Government Treasury Bills by the Central Bank. K198 million was raised on 17 February 2016 to meet the public servants pay run for payroll 5 and K455 million was raised just last Wednesday's (26/2/16) to ensure this payroll is met.

Central Bank website defines Treasury Bills as a financial debt instrument issued by the Central Bank on behalf of the Government to raise funds in order to finance budget deficits. A budget deficit is when Government expenditure is higher than revenue (spending more than it earns).