MP: I did not use K54m of road funds

THE issue of millions of kina in Highlands Highway funds gone missing resurfaced in Parliament yesterday.
Chuave MP Wera Mori said in a personal explanation that he did not squander K54 million of the Highlands Highway funds through his consultancy company before becoming an MP as alluded to in a recent Parliament session by Works Minister Francis Awesa.
He said what Awesa said was “totally false and malicious, designed on purpose to assassinate my professional character and bring into disrepute my integrity as a leader”.
Awesa, however, said the matter was now before the police fraud squad and those involved had pending cases, including the previous Works’ secretary.
Mori said he had did not have a case pending against him.
“I have been exonerated from all charges,” he said.
“Get your facts correct.”
Awesa said so much money had been wasted on the Highlands Highway crop compensation programme implemented by his predecessor and now Opposition Leader Don Polye.
He said a lot of the funds were under the control of the company of which Mori was the principal.
“Some of these funds were misused, abused, and I stand by that statement,” Awesa said.
Mori urged Awesa to “get his facts correct”.
“For the record, I was never a consultant for the current Opposition leader (Polye) when he was then the minister for works,” he said.
“It was my company that was formally engaged by the Department of Works based on merit.
“There was no company there and then that could do the work that we did.”