PM defends inquiry cost

National

PRIME Minister James Marape has defended the setting up of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the K3 billion UBS loan which will cost K28 million, saying it is not a waste of money.
He was responding to a statement by Opposition Leader Belden Namah that the K28mil to conduct the inquiry was a waste of time and money because an inquiry on the issue had already been conducted by the Ombudsman Commission.
Marape said the K28 million spent on the Commission of Inquiry “is nothing against the backdrop of Papua New Guinea losing K3 billion in the process”.
Marape said he had answered all the questions raised already by Namah in the February session of Parliament when raised by Deputy Opposition Leader Dr Allan Marat.
“If Namah wants the COI to be disbanded, he obviously wants to protect someone, or some people, who have been implicated in the Ombudsman Commission report,” Marape said.
“It is no secret that the country had suffered greatly over the last six years since former prime minister, Peter O’Neill, took out the loan.
“We are now worse for that unnecessary loan which has affected all the people of this country.”
Marape said “if we do not have this COI, we will never know the truth about the UBS loan, to set us free from the shackles of the past”.
“I am implicated in the Ombudsman Commission report, however, have set up this COI which will establish if I was in the wrong or not.”

One thought on “PM defends inquiry cost

  • We are a country that lives on corruption. The commission of enquiry generating K28 million will be provide an ideal opportunity for our politicians to get their hands on a bit more money. And good luck to them. It’s the PNG way!

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