Kalinoe: Lands is most corrupt

THE Department of Lands and Physical Planning is said to be one of “the most corrupt” government institutions in the country, according to former academic and prominent lawyer, Dr Lawrence Kalinoe.
He added the officers there needed to be sacked starting from the top management down to the ground officers.
Kalinoe told a seminar at the National Research Institute (NRI) that the public servants working in the Department of Lands and Physical Planning were taking bribes to execute their public duties. 
His response came after calls were made by landowners and other people that real landowners who travel to Port Moresby to register their land as Incorporated Land Groups (ILGs) were ignored and preferences where given to people who paid bribes.
Kalinoe said those who paid bribes were not even genuine landowners.
He said because they had the money, they could easily bribe Lands official to claim ownership of a particular piece of land and register it under their name.
Kalinoe said this was a serious offence and the work of people with criminal intents.
He said as one of the formulators behind the current land reform project, he wanted a “commission of inquiry” into the Lands Department so that the corrupt officers could be removed.
He also said other land matters were piling up in the department and were only attended to when bribes were given.
Kalinoe said the Lands Department was a state institution and must have the people’s interest at heart and not the interest of corrupt individuals and networks who run the department.