Leaders, passionate law breakers: Geno

By ALISON ANIS
LEADERS have a passion for breaking laws to suit themselves and this can be seen as an “institutionalised corruption,” Chief Ombudsman, Ila Geno said yesterday.
He was addressing participants of a one-day governance forum held in Port Moresby.
“Apparently our leaders do not follow the law because time and time again you hear of leaders being referred to the Ombudsman Commission for breaching the leadership code, the chief ombudsman said.
He said the Ombudsman Commission had before it cases which involved leaders making payments without following proper procedures, disposing off and acquiring assets secretly and without the knowledge of concerned individuals and changing laws to suit themselves.
The Chief Ombudsman told participants at the workshop that the onus was on them as law enforcers to be fully compliant with the law and not to be fooled by “status” of the persons.
Representatives of the Ombudsman Commission, Magisterial Services, Correctional Services, Royal PNG Constabulary, Rural Development Bank including the staff and management of the law and justice sector, attended the workshop.
Mr Geno was invited to speak on “ethics and governance” at the workshop organised by the PNG Law and Justice Sector.
He said ethics and governance go hand in hand.
“If there is good ethics, there is good governance and if there is bad ethics there is bad governance.
“Sometimes bad governance occurs because we allow it to happen. We fail to adhere to the law.
“As people who uphold the law, we must not go outside the requirement of the law but to always stick to its requirement,” Mr Geno said.