Basil hits back at PM
The National, Friday March 7th, 2014
DEPUTY Opposition leader Sam Basil has accused Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, Finance Minister James Marape and Acting Finance Secretary Dr Ken Nangan of making contradictory statements in relation to the outstanding K7 million of Opposition electorates’ District Services Improvement Programme (DSIP) funds.
Basil said that yesterday when commenting on O’Neill’s announcement all MPs, including those in Opposition, would receive their full DSIP funds for 2013. “It is good to see the Prime Minister taking over from the Finance Minister James Marape and the Finance acting secretary Ken Nangan, who have been issuing contradictory statements against themselves to the media regarding the outstanding K7m for the Opposition district’s DSIP funds,” Basil said.
“Just last Friday, in one of the daily newspapers, the Finance Minister stated that K7m was already released to the Opposition MPs’ district treasuries.
“We, however, proved with bank statements and confirmation letters from our district treasuries that the Finance Minister, James Marape, has lied as a serving senior state minister under the O’Neill government.
“In Tuesday’s news, the acting Secretary for Finance announced again that he will pay this week the remaining K7m.”