O’Neill in clear: Baki

By GYNNIE KERO
PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has welcomed the decision by police yesterday to stop investigations into allegations against him on the payments made to a law firm by the Government.
O’Neill told The National from his Pangia district in Southern Highlands last night that he had always maintained he had nothing to do with the law firm.
“I welcome the decision. I have always stated that I have nothing to do with that law firm,” he said.
“There was no personal benefit. I did not have any personal relationship or connection with the law firm. The (police) investigation has now proved that I was right.
“We need to learn from this, especially in dealing with high-profile cases. We must make sure that we have sufficient evidence before we take the next action of prosecution.”
Police Commissioner Gari Baki in a statement yesterday said the case against O’Neill was “closed and no further action is intended to be taken against him”.
The police fraud unit began investigations into the payments of government funds to a law firm based in Port Moresby in 2014. The unit obtained a warrant of arrest for O’Neill on June 12, 2014. But the Supreme Court voided the arrest warrant last December.
Baki said he had in February this year invited O’Neill to furnish “for record purposes” a statement providing his side of events leading to the allegations levelled against him.
“On April 10, the prime minister responded in writing and provided a detailed rebuttal to the allegations levelled against him. The response was examined by the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate under Chief Superintendent (Mathew) Damaru.”
Damaru, in a recent brief advised Baki that the case against O’Neill has been closed and no further action would be taken against him.
However Baki said O’Neill had also provided “fresh evidence” on the payments to the law firm which police would investigate.