B’ville chief auditor suspended

AUTONOMOUS Bougainville Government (ABG) chief internal auditor Peter Siperau has been suspended for two weeks.
Acting chief secretary Thomas Raivet, in the suspension letter to Siperau, stated that his alleged actions as the chief internal auditor towards the ABG was unbecoming of a senior public servant.
He also stated that Siperau’s continued alleged behaviour of disobedience, disloyalty and challenges against the government was not only unprofessional and unprotocol but posed a threat to peace, unity and stability as Bougainville headed to the referendum.
Siperau was suspended on the grounds that he did not seek approval from the Bougainville Executive Council (BEC) to authorise police to deal with leaders, public servants and citizens of Bougainville.
Raivet stated that the Bougainville Police Service (BPS), under the autonomous region arrangements, was an independent entity from the police force and only BEC, as the highest decision-making body, could approve such action and not Siperau or any other individual.
He said Siperau’s loyalty to the government of the day was seriously questionable as he continued to authorise the PNG Fraud Squad illegally using ABG funds.
Raivet told Siperau that he should have known better that ABG was his employer and for him to continue to question directives from the President and BEC was unbecoming of a senior public servant.
Siperau was also suspended for unauthorised releasing of confidential information and breaching the protocol of writing directly to department heads and ministers when he was only a subordinate officer.
“As the acting chief secretary, I have no choice but to suspend you immediately for fourteen days, commencing upon the receipt of this notice, with full pay,’’ Raivet said.
Siperau was banned from entering all government offices and was asked to surrender all ABG properties, including the vehicle, and also directed to hand over the office to his deputy, who was to maintain the running of the office during the period of his suspension.