Probe into spill incident ‘illegal’

ENVIRONMENT and Conservation Minister Wera Mori claims that an “illegal” investigation is being carried out into the “spill incident” at the Basamuk mine in Madang.
Mori said an initial investigation by a team commissioned by the National Executive Council on the 2019 incident had been completed and a report prepared.
He said: “We had a spillage at Basamuk Bay in Ramu.
As a consequence of a decision by National Executive Council, a team of eminent PNG scientists was assembled to conduct an investigation into the impact of the spillage that took place in August.”
He said after months of investigation, a report was prepared on the findings at Basamuk and the surrounding areas.
“However, I am appalled that there is a purported investigation about to commence in Madang,” he said.
“I call upon people of Madang, government of Madang and of course Ramu Nico not to allow this investigation to go ahead because the formally-sanctioned investigation as commissioned by the NEC had already taken place and recorded.”
He said the new investigation had not been formally sanctioned the Government. I would like to know who funded it,” he said.
“The Department of Treasury owes CEPA K2 million to K3 million by virtue of the fact that we spent our own money (on the initial investigation) within our own operations.