Service providers threaten to sue Petroleum Dept

Islands, Normal

SERVICE providers, including hotels and public motor vehicle (PMV) owners in East New Britain province, are in the process of taking the Department of Petroleum and Energy to court for non-payment of bills.
They have sought legal advice to take the matter to court as all avenues to get the department to pay them had been exhausted during the past six months and the only option now was to take legal action.
Rabaul mayor Changol Manuai, who spoke on behalf of the PMV owners, said they were already fed up with the delay and appealed to the National Government to immediately release the funds to pay off the debts.
He said the outstanding bills had already accumulating to hundreds of thousands of kina dating to last June.
He did not put a specific figure on how much was owed and how many businesses were owed money.