Outdated views of country irks PM

 PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill says beyond any legal proceedings, the claims made in a SBS television story “feed into an old stereotypical view of Papua New Guinea that had developed after Independence”.

He was referring to a covertly-filmed interview with lawyers Greg Sheppard and Harvey Maladina which was aired on the television programme Dateline last Tuesday.

O’Neill said in a statement: “For decades, Papua New Guinea suffered at the hands of foreign and local people who sought to take advantage of the then young nation. We called them spivs and carpetbaggers and over the course of time legislation has been introduced to stop these activities.

“Papua New Guinea of today is a country where there are checks and balances, where digital fingerprints are a tool of investigation, and where we have access to the resources of international law enforcement to prevent illicit financial activities.

“We are part of a global legal and economic system where illegal practices of the past can be notified”. O’Neill has asked Rimbink Pato, the Foreign Affairs Minister, and Ano Pala, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, to “engage with relevant Australian law enforcement authorities to investigate comments made by two lawyers that were aired on overseas media”.

He said Pato and Pala should seek to have the claims aired on SBS investigated in the PNG and Australian jurisdictions.

“The comments made by the two men in question are alarming and are the subject of investigation in Papua New Guinea,” O’Neill said.

“I have sought advice on the most effective way to have these claims investigated from all angles, and now we are seeking to ensure that this process takes place in both countries relevant to the claims. It is not for the Government to judge these individuals, and all people are innocent until proven guilty before the law. But suggestions of money laundering involving high level officials must be properly investigated.”