Sir Salamo not the right person to head UBS loan inquiry

By FRANCIS NII - PNG Attitude blog

KUNDIAWA - Prime Minister James Marape is to be commended for the appointment of a commission of inquiry to investigate the UBS loan affair, however the appointment of former chief justice Sir Salamo Injia to head the inquiry is dubious.

This is already a compromise of the outcome of the inquiry before it has even started and is not a good sign for the Marape government in its announced campaign of fighting corruption.

If Marape is serious about cleaning up PNG and ridding this country of corruption, the multi-billion dollar UBS loan is a classic case to start with.

This is an issue that has brought so much pain and misery to the country and its people.

It is essential for people who want the whole truth that no stone is left unturned in pursuing exactly what happened and who was responsible for it.

The whole truth must surface and if anyone has broken the law, they must suffer the full force of the law.

The commission’s chairperson will play a decisive and leading role in the inquiry, and the appointee must be someone of honest and unblemished character who can honestly, transparently and impartiality investigate the case.

Sir Salamo Injia is not the right person to make that happen.

He has a dented record of partiality relating to his handling of Peter O’Neill’s arrest warrant in the Paul Paraka case.

It was Sir Salamo who, in his capacity as the chief justice on a one-man bench, granted O’Neill a stay order contrary to a district court’s decision.

The stay order prevented police from arresting O’Neill on allegations of official corruption involving the payment of K71.8 million to Paul Paraka Lawyers.

Sir Salamo subsequently quashed the case citing technical errors as his grounds. Sadly, the substantive matter was not given the benefit of a fair trial in a prudent court of justice.

Prior to these decisions, Sir Salamo was seen having a jovial time with O’Neill at a football game while O’Neill’s application to stay the arrest warrant was pending decision before the court.

The image of the two men, the head of the judiciary and the head of state, went viral on social media.

The verdict upholding the stay order was already reached by social media users before the court actually handed down its decision and, as predicted, the case was consigned to history courtesy of Sir Salamo.

For this reason, the former chief justice isn’t a fit person to head this important inquiry. Two names that came to mind are Sam Koim and Sir Arnold Amet.

If prime minister James Marape is adamant to keep Sir Salamo in the role, it can mean one thing only - and that is the appointment is a calculated move by Marape with O’Neill’s hand in it to muddy the whole inquiry.

Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/08/sir-salamo-not-the-right-person-to-head-ubs-loan-inquiry.html

Whistle Blowers Act approved

By LUKE KAMA - The National

PRIME Minister James Marape, pictured, says Cabinet has approved the Whistle Blowers Act and it will be taken to Parliament during the next sitting for enactment.
Marape revealed this in a media conference in Port Moresby yesterday when announcing the Government’s decision to establish a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the controversial UBS loan.
“It will be brought to Parliament in the next sitting to get it enacted so that it will protect our people who are giving information on corruption in the country,” Marape said.
He said the act would also protect people to give evidence in UBS loan saga during the inquiry.
“We are also looking at getting the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) Act to Parliament before the end of this year and this Government is committed to fight and eradicate corruption in the country,” Marape said.
The Whistle Blowers Act protects people who report against corruption and corrupt dealings from within their organisation from facing disciplinary actions against the actions.
It is one of the legislations that the country and the people have been crying for Parliament to enact so it protects the people who wants to report and fight against corruption.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/whistle-blowers-act-approved/

Government names Sir Salamo as head of UBS inquiry

By LUKE KAMA and HELEN TARAWA - The National

THE Government has approved a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the controversial UBS loan and appointed former Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, pictured, to head it.
Prime Minister James Marape said K4 million was allocated for the work – expected to be completed in three months – with lawyer Sam Koim, the former chairman of the disbanded Task Force Sweep team, appointed principal legal counsel, to assist Sir Salamo.
Marape said Sir Salamo’s appointment had been made after wider consultation and he was a man of respectable standing and integrity who would deliver what the country and the people wanted to know concerning the UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland) K3 billion loan. If there is any doubts, he was the person overlooked by the previous government of former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for his reappointment as the chief justice for the second term,” he said.
“I am confident that he is the right choice.”
Marape said the terms of reference for the inquiry covered the entire aspects of the transaction and it going back to the IPIC loan deal.
“As I have promised to the people and the country, we need to have answers to how and why this UBS loan was obtained?” he said.
“Whether it was done properly in compliance of our country’s laws, who are the principal players and what benefit did the country gain from the loan transactions?
“These are critical questions and the people are entitled to know the answers.”
Marape said the inquiry will look into the germination of the idea, where it came from, how it started, whether it is beneficial to the country, if there were the losses made and if there was impropriety or corruption.
“The inquiry will find out if any money was gained illegally in the transaction hidden somewhere,”he said.
“I will not stand in the way in rescuing this so this becomes a pointer to our nation’s demand to fight corruption in its fullest.
“As prime minister, I intend to make my mark in the country.
“Growing the economy but without putting the check mechanisms to stop wastage through deliberate complacency in corruption or character complacency in attitude and recklessness is something that we must stop.”
Marape said the two men appointed would be able to select candidates for the appointment of other technical positions required for the inquiry.
He said the Ombudsman Commission’s report on the loan dealt only with government officials and not private people and companies.
“So the COI will investigate the commercial aspects as well as the conduct of those private individuals and companies,” he said.
“Once the inquiry is complete, its findings and report will be tabled in Parliament and when adopted, it will be referred to the relevant authority to take appropriate actions.”
Marape said COI was appointed and it was time for the public to give their evidence to the inquiry to assist the team.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/govt-names-sir-salamo-as-head-of-ubs-inquiry/