O’Neill wants tough laws against white collar crime

 PARLIAMENT has been urged to enact new legislation to curb white collar crime in PNG.

“We must put strict penalties for the white collar crimes because there are many stealings and misuse of money,” Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told Parliament yesterday.

“We must also increase penalties for these offences from mediocre to high like the three to five-year imprisonment can be brought to 10 to 15 years, depending on the judges’ sentences. 

“The paper is now before Parliament and I urge you to support it.

“The minister for justice and attorney-general will go through it when he presents it for debate.” 

O’Neill said the community had been vocal on tougher punishment for stealing and misuse which the prime minister said was time the government  changed the laws to respond to such crimes committed.  

He was responding to Kundiawa-Gembogl MP Tobias Kulang who asked if the government had any plans for tougher laws to fight white collar crime.