Juffa wants lands officers arrested

By MOUA OMOA
GOVERNOR Gary Juffa has instructed Northern police to arrest lands officers who attempt to enter the province to re-zone state land without consulting the provincial go­vernment and his office.
The move is one of se­veral that Juffa has initiated to
investigate dubious land deals, including logging ope­rations.
“Initial information indicates that many of the land parcels acquired by businesses in PNG were unlawfully acquired,” he said.
“This appears to be the case also for several logging companies and Oro resources have virtually been stolen in broad daylight.”
Juffa placed instructions with police and his office to meet land officers at the airport who were purportedly coming to the province to re-zone a portion of land at Sangara.
Police have been instructed to arrest these officers for aiding and abetting in the commission of a crime of fraud in attempting to obtain land
unlawfully and by false pretence.
It is believed the portion of land at Sangara was acquired by a logging firm under suspicious circumstances and involved a former politician and several land officials in this dubious deal.
“Leaders are mandated to protect the interest of their people and this is exactly what I am doing and will continue to do regardless of the pressure to look the other way and ignore,” Juffa said.
He added that according
to available information the land was originally owned
by an organisation known as Retired Services League through their company Lamington Cocoa Ltd.
However, the ownership was defaulted to state when RSL and the company ceased to exist in the 1980s.
Juffa said the land was then transferred to a company allegedly owned by a politician who then sold it a logging firm under suspicious circumstances. It is also believed they plan to build a supermarket and other business ventures on the land that was originally zoned for agriculture purposes.
The governor said his office was also informed that the company had hired two lands officers from Port Moresby
to fly into Popondetta at the company’s expense and re-zone the land to commercial lease.
Juffa added that the lands secretary had been advised of the officers (named) dealings with the logging operator, who had also been warned over the matter.