Page 15 - IB November 2019

Advertorial Politics

Bryan Kramer Photo: Kramer Report
PNG POLITICAL TUSSLES CONTINUE

O’Neill flees to Australia to avoid arrest: Kramer

By Samisoni Pareti one of their own, because the officer had deliberately interfered with plans to pin new
charges against O’Neill.
Anti-corruption campaigner and now minister of police in Papua New Guinea, He said police were on the verge of laying fresh corruption charges when O’Neill
Bryan Kramer, has taken to social media to expose the challenges in getting former went to police headquarters on the evening of 16 October to serve court papers that
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to answer to corruption charges in court. ordered a stay on his arrest.
The minister claims several PNG police officers as well as one or two of O’Neill’s Kramer also accused police officers who were assigned to the security detail of the
appointments to the judiciary thwarted the latest attempt to charge the former leader. former prime minister of working against the police force by refusing to cooperate
As we went to press, police stepped up the pressure by charging one of O’Neill’s with the serving of the arrest warrant on O’Neill.
lawyer, George Lau with forgery and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He accused O’Neill of hiding in the Crown Plaza Hotel in downtown Port Mo-
Similar charges were laid against a court official. resby on 15 October to avoid arrest, before sneaking his way out of the hotel “in the
O’Neill’s reaction to the development was to issue a statement accusing Minister back of a vehicle” into parliament the next day, knowing ‘police would not be able to
Kramer of being behind an allegedly forged warrant of arrest. Kramer has countered effect his arrest within the precincts of parliament while it was in session.’
by rejecting the accusation as misconceived and deceitful. In another of his Facebook posts, the outspoken police minister revealed details of
O’Neill has confirmed he has left the country, but denies Kramer’s claims that he the corruption charges police had prepared to lay against O’Neill. He confirmed that
fled PNG to avoid arrest. O’Neill told Radio New Zealand he had merely gone to it was connected to the general elections of 2012, where as Prime Minister, O’Neill
Australia to “be with his children.” allegedly approved the transfer of K1.277 million (USD$376, 620) to one Nixon
O’Neill was still in Australia when we went to press. Duban, a member of his Peoples’ National Congress Party who was a candidate in
In his 3 November posting on his personal Facebook account, Minister Kramer the Madang Open seat.
reported that O’Neill had flown out of Port Moresby two days previously, and “an That money was taken from the National Gaming Control Board, and police have
hour before the national court ruling on his judicial review proceedings challenging obtained an affidavit from the former chair of the gaming control board confirming
the validity of the warrant of arrest against him.” that he was directed by O’Neill to transfer the money to Duban.
Kramer alleged O’Neill knew the court was going to dismiss the legal challenge his In 2013 Duban was found guilty of bribery and his win in that election ruled null
lawyers had mounted because they had used a “defective” copy of the police warrant. and void by the courts.
He also alleged that in obtaining the court’s leave to hear its application ‘ex-parte,’ Kramer’s expose on Facebook comes as Prime Minister James Marape reshuffled
(without the presence of the other party to the legal dispute, which is the police his cabinet again, this time bringing former opposition leader and the man he beat
force), the former prime minister’s lawyers sought the intervention of the Chief for the job of PM, Patrick Pruaitch into cabinet.
Justice Sir Gibbs Salika. Pruaitch is the new minister for foreign affairs and trade, while William Duma
“A relevant matter to note is that the Chief Justice was only recently appointed by was given the commerce and industry portfolios. The other two MPs appointed as
O’Neill late last year,” wrote Kramer. ministers are Jelta Wong as the new minister for health and Timothy Masiu as the
The police minister added the police force was also investigating the behaviour of minister for communication and energy.

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