Commission welcomes appointment

THE Ombudsman Commission has welcomed the appointment of Richard Pagen as its eighth Chief Ombudsman following his swearing-in at the Government House on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the commission, Pagen was the acting Chief Ombudsman until his confirmation on July 2, by the Ombudsman Appointments Committee, in accordance with Section 217 (1) (2) of the Constitution.
Pagen from Laiagam, Enga, has served as an officer of the OC for more than 20 years.
“He first joined the Ombudsman Commission as an investigator and later as a senior investigator and team leader in the leadership division, before being appointed the director of the leadership division until his acting appointment as an Ombudsman in 2016,” the commission said in a statement.
“Pagen was confirmed as an Ombudsman in 2017 and became the acting Chief Ombudsman last October before his confirmation as the Chief Ombudsman earlier this month.
Pagen has degrees in science and law from the University of Papua New Guinea and a honours degree from the University of Tasmania, Australia.
He has had vast experiences in both the public and private sectors.
Prior to joining the Ombudsman Commission in 1999, Pagen served as a geologist with Minorco Exploration Ltd based in Port Moresby, CRA Exploration in Australia and Anglo America Mining Exploration based in Mt Hagen.