Peter O’Neill’s handling of the illegal SABL land grab shows he is impotent in the face of Malaysian logging company control of PNG politicians and officials.
The PNG-Eco Forestry Forum has called on the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to appoint a new and neutral chairman for the Ministerial Committee reviewing the Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) commission of inquiry report.
Having Forestry and Climate Change Minister Patrick Pruaith in charge was like “giving the keys of the blood bank to Dracula’’, the forum said.
The Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) is still an outstanding matter before the O’Neill led government, and the much talked about delay into addressing this massive corrupt scheme has prompted the blame game.
The blame game started when there was a delay by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the SABL, and when one of the three commissioners in the inquiry failed to produce his report.
Since the reports of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) were presented in parliament last October, Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill appointed a ministerial committee to look into the findings and recommendations of the inquiry.
Transparency International Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) has urged all arms of government to immediately act on the recommendations into the SABL Commission of Inquiry (COI).
Executive Director of TIPNG, Emily Taule said the COI reports from commissioners John Numapo and Nicholas Mirou contained sufficient evidence of massive corruption, mismanagement and lack of coordination by key agencies including relevant government departments.
The Chief Commissioner of Papua New Guinea's land scandal Inquiry says a whole new system of land-leasing is needed to put traditional landowners in the driver's seat for agricultural and other development.
From Radio Australia
Hundreds of thousands of landowners are waiting for the PNG government to act on its promise to cancel flawed Special Agricultural and Business Leases, or SABLs, issued for their land.
Community Advocacy group ACT NOW has welcomed Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s statement of revoking SABL leases however it is disappointed in the delays in implementing the process.
ACT NOW says there can be no excuses for the government to sit on the commission's recommendations, which was presented 6 months ago.
One of the whistleblowers who gave evidence at the Commission of Inquiry into Papua New Guinea's land scandal is urging the government to act on calls for companies named in the final report to be investigated.
A company called Independent Timbers and Stevedoring stands accused of manipulating the supposedly independent lease approval process.
Landowners who thought they had only given approval for leases for a road project, found all their land had been leased out.
A commission of inquiry in Papua New Guinea has recommended an Australian-led company involved in obtaining leases over more than two million hectares of traditional land be investigated for criminal misconduct and conspiracy.
Landowners told the Commission hearings their land, much of it pristine rainforest, has been leased without their permission.
The Commission found evidence of fraud by a company called Independent Timbers and Stevedoring.
The Ministerial Committee appointed by the National Executive Council (NEC) last year to look into recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry into the Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) is yet to convene its first meeting.
The three-member committee was appointed by the prime minister when the final reports from two commissioners of the inquiry were submitted to government.
The Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) is still an outstanding matter before the O’Neill led government, and the much talked about delay into addressing this massive corrupt scheme has prompted the blame game.
Since the reports of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) were presented in parliament last October, Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill appointed a ministerial committee to look into the findings and recommendations of the inquiry.
Community Advocacy group ACT NOW has welcomed Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s statement of revoking SABL leases however it is disappointed in the delays in implementing the process.