Transparency Internationl PNG demands revelation

Transparency International has slammed reports of law firms permitting to be part of a conspiracy to steal from the people and hide the stolen funds in overseas accounts.

In a statement over the weekend, Chairman Lawrence Stevens said TIPNG welcomes the SBS Television Dateline program over comments by prominent lawyers Greg Sheppard and Harvey Maladina.

Mr. Stevens challenged state agencies like Police, Ombudsman, Public Prosecutor, Auditor General, Bank of PNG and others to take action on people claimed to be involved.

Lawrence Stevens said these agencies have sworn in to protect the people of PNG and to honour the laws of this land and they must prove themselves by responding to the revelations involving the law firms.

Stevens said TI PNG is also calling on the general public to demand full investigations of the information now available in public domain, as past costly inquiries never gets anywhere.

TIPNG Chairman further said, its about time Australia and other friends begin to expose transactions which are designed to transfer the national wealth of PNG to thieves.

Meantime, Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill has asked the Minister for Foreign affairs, and the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, to engage with relevant Australian law enforcement authorities to investigate comments made by two lawyers that were aired on overseas media in the past week.

Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato and the Attorney General, Ano Pala will now seek to have the claims, that were aired on SBS television, to be investigated in both the Papua New Guinea and Australian jurisdictions.

Prominent lawyers Greg Sheppard and Harvey Maladina were featured on the S-B-S Dateline program, detailing how to avoid detection when laundering money from P-N-G into Australia or beyond, in their unsuspicious conversation with a private foreign investigator. 

NBC