Former administrator’s corruption case deferred

THE case of former Central administrator Gei Guni Raga was adjourned to Nov 25 and his bail extended yesterday.
Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Rebecca Kwayaila adjourned the case because police prosecutor Snr Const Peter Samghy said it was still within reasonable time and his police file was not ready.
Raga, 60, of Gamoga village in Rigo, Central, is jointly charged with former Central deputy administrator Edward Kila and then provincial treasurer Walis Imbal for the misuse of over K34 million belonging to the province’s PNG LNG impacted villages of Papa, Lealea, Boera and Porebada.
Police files indicated that Raga, being the provincial administrator, conspired with others and dishonestly applied for his own use and the use of others money in the sum of K34,464,509.23.
The alleged corruption was discovered within the provincial administration when Raga was replaced by current acting administrator Francis Koaba last November.
Koaba registered a formal complaint with police and authorised an urgent audit investigations into the LNG plant IDG (infrastructure development grant) account.
Police investigated the IDG account to determine how the LNG IDG funds were managed and used between Jan 8, 2013, and July 4, 2018, but were unable to retrieve all documents as most of the records were not properly filed and kept.
Raga was interviewed at the fraud office and formally arrested, charged and detained at the Boroko Police Station.
He is out on K2,000 bail.