Landowner funds under MRDC safe, Mano says

By LUKE KAMA
ALL landowner funds under the care of the Mineral Resource Development Company are safe, managing director Augustine Mano says.
He was responding to a letter written to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill by the chairman of the Petroleum Resources Gobe (PRG) Limited Philip Kende calling for Mano’s termination as MRDC managing director over certain allegations.
Mano told The National yesterday that the allegations were baseless and false.
“The matters raised by Kende are commercial matters that the PRG will deal with at the board level,” he said.
“There is no fraud involved.
“All these will be addressed at the PRG board meeting next week, which is the correct forum.”
Mano said the “Gobe funds are safe” which under his watch had grown from K15 million in 2008 to almost K90 million today.
“Almost 90 per cent of the royalties currently in PRG have been recovered in the past 10 years,” he said.
“For the record, all the allegations by Kende in his letter to the PM are false.
“Answers will be given at the board meeting.
“The board has three independent directors and two landowners.”
He called on Kende to attend the board meeting.
MRDC, owned by State, was established in 1975, as the State nominee to acquire the State and Landowner equity interests in mining and petroleum projects.