O’Neill probe completed

POLICE have completed their investigations into the charge of three counts of giving false witness statements, against Ialiabu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill and served the police hand-up brief file yesterday.
Police prosecutor Senior Sgt Chris Iga informed magistrate Laura Wawun-Kuvi at Waigani Committal Court that the police file was served on O’Neill and his lawyer.
Wawun-Kuvi then set the hearing of the parties’ submissions on the sufficiency of the police evidence to next month.
She made this order following a draft order prepared by O’Neill’s lawyer Philip Tabuchi which was not objected to by the police prosecutor.
She further ordered for O’Neill’s submission on police evidence to be filed and served to the police prosecution by Oct 19, and the prosecution’s responses to the submission to be made by Oct 30.
The matter will return on Nov 3, for hearing on the sufficiency of police evidence.
O’Neill was charged based on the allegations that he gave false evidence during the Commission Of Inquiry (COI) into Union Bank of Switzerland.
Police alleged that a COI was established in August, 2019 to look into the UBS loan deal obtained by then O’Neill-led government to acquire share in Oil Search Limited.
Last year, the COI handed down its findings and came up with several recommendations for the government agencies and institutions to implement where they see fit.
In April, the COI report was tabled in parliament to look at the recommendations and findings and be debated upon it.
After a debate, the parliament declared for the recommendations and the findings of the COI be implemented by the State agencies and the institutions recommended in the report.
On June 5, chief secretary Ivan Pomaleu referred the COI report to the Office of the Police Commissioner to conduct an investigation.