Pundari wants govt to probe funds

THE government should investigate all public funds paid to landow­ners in the LNG project, former mining minister John Pundari said.
Pundari, while welcoming the national go­vernment’s supplementary budget allocation of K40 million to LNG commitments, and K5 million for MoA grants, said the funds should be investigated as part of the government’s campaign against corruption.
He said some landowners had obtained millions of kina of public funds through the Business Development Grants, infrastructural development grants and MoA.
He said the landow­ners viewed the grants as free cash handouts from the government and had misused the money in Port Moresby.
“I’m happy with the K40 million given to the landowners. But it must investigate the millions of kina given to them earlier to identify if ge­nuine people have really benefited for the government grants,” he said.
He said the investigations should start with the Southern Highlands gas landowners through to the pipeline and the condensation plant at Portion 152.
Meanwhile, Pundari has commended Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for leading the campaign against corruption, in particular the special investigating task force which has been given the power to investigate people, prosecute them and recoup anything gained wrongly.
“Politics should not interfere with its operation but let them to do their work without fear and the investigation should start from 2002 to now,” he said.