Call to disband UBS Commission of Inquiry

OPPOSITION Leader Belden Namah has called on Prime Minister James Marape to immediately disband the Commission of Inquiry into the UBS loan, saying it is a waste of time and public money.
Namah said the Government should make public the completed Ombudsman Commission’s report into the UBS loan saga instead.
“The Government and relevant law enforcement agencies such as the Ombudsman Commission and National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate must also implement the findings and recommendations,” he said.
Namah said when deputy Opposition Leader Dr Allan Marat questioned why it was necessary to set up the Royal Commission of Inquiry, Marape said it was to look at the entire chain of events from when the loan was procured, what circumstances gave rise to the procurement of that fund from UBS, up to where the last toea went.
Namah said the Ombudsman had already looked into and reported on the entire chain of events.
“Has Marape even read the report?” he said.
Namah said the K28 million estimated as the cost of the inquiry “is a lot of money”.
“We have here a very clear case of deliberate wastage of time to avert action on the Ombudsman Commission Report by commissioning a second Commission of Inquiry to look into the exact same facts that have been obtained, examined and established by Ombudsman Commission,” he said.
“In the process James Marape is throwing K28 million down the tube while our mothers and children are crying out for basic goods and services.”
Marape could not be reached for a comment yesterday.