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By JULIA DAIA BORE
THE Commission of Inquiry into the Finance Department is to resume with
a new team and some “very prominent” people would find themselves
heavily implicated.
Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said yesterday that he had directed
the commission to resume its hearing but with some changes to the
composition of the staff.
“New information has been brought to my attention and therefore, any
instruments signed prior to my statement today, is invalid and the
composition of staff would be determined in due course before the
Commission of Inquiry can proceed,” he said in a statement.
He said the inquiry, which held its last hearing in May, must take place
and the process must be allowed to run its full course.
He expects the hearing to reconvene once a review into the commission’s
expenditure is done.
Meanwhile, the counsel assisting the inquiry Sarea Soi told The National
that preliminary investigations had uncovered more than 400 cases of
irregularities that could amount to K1 billion.
“Some very prominent Papua New Guineans heavily implicated would be
given the opportunity to have their say before the inquiry,” he said.
The inquiry, according to a Special Gazette notice last week, would be
headed by retired Supreme Court judge Maurice Sheehan, is looking into
the department’s payouts between January 2000 and July 1 last year.
Mr Soi said the commission’s lifespan was six months which will begin
from the day it resumes the inquiry.
He said the commission’s task was to look into the management of public
monies by the department and “inquire into the existence and extent of
illegal, false or improper claims for payment made to the State and
approved or paid by the department in the period between 2000 and July
1, 2006”.
He said it was also expected to establish the extent of illegal and
improper claims; judgments or out-of-court settlements against the State
and to identify the people to whom the claims were paid; and the total
amount paid out.
The inquiry first began in February this year and last sat in May.
During the three months, the commission dealt with six cases involving
about K10 million in alleged fraudulent payouts.
 
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