Director tells of bribe, threats
By REBECCA KUKU
A COMPANY managing director told an inquiry yesterday how a Health Department official, who was paid only K20,000 of the K70,000 he demanded, stalled payments to the firm for the medicine supplied.
Managing director of Global Customs & Forwarding Ltd Harupe Peke also told the Public Accounts Committee inquiry into the procurement, supply and distribution of medicine that after he wrote a letter of complaint to the Health Department about the matter, he was threatened to withdraw it, otherwise he and his family would be arrested.
He identified the department official who demanded the K70,000 as corporate manager Paul Dopsie.
Peke told the inquiry chaired by Sir John Pundari in Port Moresby that he was threatened by an official he knew only as “Mr Puli” from the Finance Department on Oct 5, 2018 to withdraw the complaint or he and his family would be arrested. He was told that there was no Whistleblowers Act in place to protect him, and that his contract with the department would be thrown out.
Company accountant Basil Roma, who supported what Peke said, told the committee that Dopsie had called Peke on Sept 29, 2016 demanding K70,000. But Peke only gave Dopsie K20,000.
“I went with my boss (Peke) and withdrew the K20,000 from the Westpac Bank. I remember it was around 1.40pm when we drove to the Stanley Hotel car park to meet with Dopsie. He was not happy with the K20,000 and wanted K50,000 more,” Roma said.
Roma said Dopsie later took the K20,000 and left. He said the department’s payments to the company were stalled after that.
Peke said he had paid Dopsie numerous times in the past and was getting fed up with it.
So when Dopsie insisted on being paid K50,000 more, he wrote a letter of complaint to the Health Department.
“On Oct 2 in 2017, Dopsie called me to his office and told me to withdraw the letter of complaint which I did on the next day.
“However, about a year later on Oct 5, 2018, a Mr Puli from the Finance Department called me and asked me to meet with him at the Finance office.
“When I got there, he threatened me to withdraw the complaint against Dopsie or my family and I would be arrested as there was no Whistleblowers Act in place to protect us. He said my current contract with the NDOH would be at stake.
“I didn’t really mind about the second one but was really concerned about the threat issued against my family.” The inquiry will resume early next year.
12 comments
There is enough evidence there now, can he be arrested and put behind bars. He doesn’t deserve to continue employment. He is a far worse criminal than our petty thieves on the streets…just frustrating to see such people continue when they are implicated.
Can this newspaper post a picture of Paul Dopsie for public interest so he could be accorded the appropriate pleasantries when one sees him?
Dopsie should be ashamed of himself. Why would a highly paid executive demand such payments when he is already paid.
Mr Dopsie need to be acted upon with enough evidence now.By now he should be suspended.Corrupted heath dept officer.
Mr Dopsie the blood of the hundreds if not maybe thousands of Papua New Gunieans that have died as a result of lack of adequate medical supplies, their blood is on your hands. Hope you rest easy every night with that in your mind. !
Very bad news for Papua New Guineans..Why so much greedy,please take the culprit behind bars now.
We are tired of such corrupt Human Beings like him.
For some one like me, i struggle so hard in two weeks to get very little to sustain myself and family, wearing worn out cloths, broken shoes, living installments and struggling to make hands meet. All people involved in this must face full force of the law. this include Directors, Secretaries, Pulin + Dopsie et. al..
Its really sad to see such individuals having no ethical moral concern of others but themselves. Self centered people like him should be locked up. Its surprising today to see high rank personals doing such greedy dealings. Its already a norm in PNG. Money the root of all evil. Only with God one will find peace.
When do we expect the Police to arrest all those involved in bribery, fraud, corruption, threat, etc? Aren’t those information provided sufficient for police to act upon and arrest all those involved? What exactly are our Police waiting for?
No wonder Papua New Guineans have always been overlooked in many other executive positions simply because it is misused for their own benefit. Given this scenario government must seriously look at putting expatriates in all department secretary and top positions within government bureaucracy and its businesses.
This is “Quid Pro Quo” which is a treasonous act and deserves the death penalty.
As for when police can act?? Its simple, somebody must lay a complaint with them…even the someone, any civilian, under the police act can carry out a “Citizenship Arrest” and lock him up at Boroko. The evidences are there.
The million dollar question for the nation to know is “Mr Peke, WHO ELSE WERE YOU ABLE TO BRIBE?”
Surprisingly there was a letter of complain written by Peke to the Health Dept and my guess is that when it ended up in NDoH Secretary Kase’s office it was shredded the reason why no action was taken against Dopsie. It will be revealed that Kase is a beneficiary of all the bribery payments. The law will take its course and all perpetrators will end up in Bomana but before ol go kaikai brown rice mi lakim “Jungle Justice” mas apply long ol. Skin them alive and hang them upside down.
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