Landowners query authorisation of grant payments

 THE Gobe PDL 3 and 4 landowners are disappointed that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has authorised their infrastructure development grant (IDG) payments to be directed through the Southern Highlands provincial government. 

Landowner and Moloko Tipurupeke local level government deputy president Max Apua and Imawe-Bogasi association chairman Rudolph Upeke said they were confused as to why O’Neill had given the green light to the same process of payments when the previous payments were questionable.

They were responding to news that their 2012 IDG payments were to be paid to the provincial government.

They said the first IDG payment for 2011 was illegally paid by the Southern Highlands administration outside the Economic Implementation Committee (EIC) process.

They claimed that it was distributed to incorporated landowner groups, non-landowners and individuals not listed to receive these payments.

“We have bank evidence, which is under investigation by the fraud squad, showing a certain individual paying himself K100,000 from the 2011 Gobe IDG trust account. 

“With God’s Grace, we were in time to seek court injunction to block all cheques from being cashed and the total of K8.2 million for 2011 is safely in a BSP trust account awaiting the court’s decision,” Apua said.

Upeke said the grant money was supposed to fund infrastructure services for PDL 3 and 4 through landowner companies identified by EIC. 

“This is not equity or royalty money and cannot be paid to ILGs.”