UBS inquiry plans sittings

By HELEN TARAWA
THE Commission of Inquiry into the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) is preparing to start its work early next year, according to chairman Sir Salamo Injia.
It held its first public hearing yesterday without the counsel and solicitors assisting the commission.
Sir Salamo said it did not affect yesterday’s sitting.
The State Solicitor had advised him on Nov 5 that the Solicitor General had not responded to the request for assistance.
“This was due to the delay in a decision to be made by board of the National Procurement Commission,” he said.
“The unavailability of the counsel and solicitor for this opening sitting does not pose any difficulty as this commission will be able to deal with preparatory work to sit in early 2020 to consider the actual inquiry in terms of receiving evidence.”
The commission issued an interim list of witnesses to be called to give evidences on the return date for summons on Jan 27, 2020.
A road map for the conduct of the inquiry is set with the outline of the funding situation for the six-month extended period
All witnesses requested or summoned by the commission are to attend the hearing on Monday, Jan 27. The plan is:

• Issue of summons on Dec 16 to Dec 31, 2019;
• investigation phase by counsel, solicitors and technical officers from February to March 2020;
• public hearing in April and May;
• report writing in June 2020; and,
• report delivery phase on July 27, 2020.

Commissioner John Gilmour QC said administrative obstacles continued to delay the process.
The commission has not received the full funding approved by Prime Minister James Marape.
The counsel assisting the commission has not been admitted to practice in PNG and solicitors have not been appointed.
“The resolutions of each of these are vital to enable the commission to carry out the work of the inquiry.
“The commission urges the Department of Treasury, Attorney-General and the National Procurement Commission to expedite each of these matters,” Gilmour said.