PRIME Minister James Marape says recent actions by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to investigate, charge, and arrest senior public servants are signs that the Commission is prepared to exercise the powers entrusted to it by Parliament.
Marape was responding to recent ICAC investigations into allegations of abuse of office and corruption by five senior public servants. He commends Acting ICAC Commissioner Don Sawong and his officers saying ICAC must do its job without fear, favour or political interference. “The government has given ICAC the legal framework and continues to support the institution with the resources necessary to do its job,” Marape says.
The five senior public servants arrested this week include New Ireland Provincial Administrator, Richard Andia and Jiwaka Provincial Finance Manager, Siwi Takai along with four others.
Marape said public money belongs to the people of Papua New Guinea.
It is intended for medicine, schools, roads, police, agriculture, electricity, water, infrastructure and services.
Mr. Andia was arrested on the 11th of this month on the allegation of misappropriation of K85,000 belonging to the New Ireland Provincial Government. He appeared before the Kavieng District Court on charges of Abuse of Office, Misappropriation and False Pretense. Allegations against Siwi Takai at the Jiwaka Provincial Government also include charges of misappropriation and the matter is before the Minj District Court.
In a press conference in Port Moresby, ICAC Commissioner Don Sawong stated ICAC will not be intimidated by public servants or lawyers in its role to fight corruption or corrupt practices.
In response to this, Prime Minister Marape said the broader development showed that institutional reforms pursued by the Marape-Rosso Government were increasingly translating from legislation and policy, into actual enforcement. “This is precisely why my government took the difficult but necessary step of completing the ICAC Legislation in 2020. We did not establish ICAC as a (piece of) decoration. We established it so that Papua New Guinea would have a strong, independent institution with the legal authority to investigate corruption wherever the evidence leads,” said Marape.
