Former CJ queried over passport scandal

AN Ombudsman Commission report has questioned why former Chief Justice and Attorney-General Ano Pala granted Djoko Tjandra citizenship against the advice of PNG authorities.
Acting Speaker Jeffrey Komal yesterday tabled the Ombudsman Commission report on the matter in Parliament.
It said Tjandra had travelled to PNG on a chartered flight on June 9, 2009, two days before his conviction for swindling about K200 million from a Bali bank.
The report said Pala approved Tjandra’s application and granted him citizenship by naturalisation knowing that Tjandra “did not meet constitutional requirements”.
“The Minister also disregarded the advice by the National Security Agencies, National Intelligence Organisation, PNG Police and Interpol that the applicant Mr Joko Tjandra had adverse records against his name,” the report said.
“(His) name was on the Interpol red notice alert and was wanted as a fugitive by his country Indonesia.”
Tjandra was convicted by the Indonesian Supreme Court on June 11, 2009, for corruption and sentenced to two years imprisonment.
The commission stated that Indonesia had requested PNG to extradite Tjandra to serve his two-year jail term imposed by the Indonesian Supreme Court, but the request was not entertained.
The report said Tjandra was issued a PNG passport on May 4, 2012 (Passport No B328500).
On May 7, 2012, he applied for another passport and was issued PNG passport No B330971 under the new name of Joe Chan.