City council has followed organic law, says Kamen

National

By EHEYUC SESERU
THE Lae City Council has followed the organic law on provincial and local government to sell or lease the council’s assets with approval from councillors, according to former city manager Roy Kamen.
He said the council’s decisions were always in line with those law to lease the council’s assets approved by all members of city council in its meeting resolutions.
The council consists of 10 members – six ward councillors, three appointed members and the lord mayor.
Kamen said allegations by former lord mayor James Khay that properties worth more than K7 million were sold or leased without approval of the city authority were mostly done during Khay’s time.
He said the selling of residence at section 32, lot 19, Raun Wara, Eriku to a public servant for K100, 000 was a provincial council decision during Khay’s tenure as the mayor.
“That was done well before current mayor’s time and my time as city manager,” he said.
Kamen said the residence at section 34, lot 78 (Oleander Street) and another properties at Hibiscus Street for K1 million was a full council decision. Two senior city council officers made submissions to purchase  properties valued at K71,000 and  K65,000 respectively, Kamen said.
The council did not agree to sell those properties for those amounts.
“Properties at Eriku are in a prime area and you can’t sell at K71,000 or K65,000. A K50,000 deposit for land at Eriku, lot 22, section 25, was in a trust account with a law firm,” he said.
Kamen said Timperley Park, East Taraka, was done before he took office but the property was never sold.
“A section at the park was given to a construction company through dubious deals. We are still investigating with the Lands Department.”
Kamen claimed that some officers in the city council did those deals.