Boards told to show money trail

THE country’s 10 agriculture commodity boards have been given until May 9 to provide acquittals and expenditure reports of “millions of kina” spent over the years.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister Benn Allan and Acting Secretary Daniel Kombuk told the 10 boards last week to provide the acquittals and reports.
The boards are:

• Oil Palm Industry Corporation;
• Cocoa Board;
• Coffee Industry Corporation;
• Fresh Produce Development Agency;
• National Agriculture Research Institute;
• National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority;
• Kokonas Indastri Koporesen;
• Livestock Development Corporation;
• Rubber Board; and
• Spice Board.

“They (boards) have been tasked to furnish all expenditure reports, because there have been so many millions dished out,” Kobuk said yesterday.
He said DAL officers with cameras would go out to see if there were actual projects on the ground.
“We will then see whether the money used is as per the report, or misused,” Kombuk said.
“This is one of the important exercises that we are conducting now.
“We are waiting for them to give us the expenditure reports for millions of kina that was given to their sector.
“By May 9, they should furnish the reports to this office and we will take it on from there.
“We don’t know how the money has been spent.
“We really want to find out what happened.”
Kombuk said there was no way the boards would get away with any wrongdoing.
“All these millions of kina belong to the Government of PNG,” he said.
“We are going to see where they practically used the money.
“Enough is enough of this nonsense.
“We are not going to tolerate money being spent on other purposes than what they are tasked to do.
“That amounts to corruption and misuse. Papua New Guineans, leaders and the government have the right to know what happened to the money they were given.”