Jayapura, 9/1 (Jubi/ABC) – Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says he has taken out a stay order from the Committal Court against a warrant issued for his arrest.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Mr O’Neill, Treasurer Don Polye and Finance Minister James Marape. The warrants were sought last November by an investigator with the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate. They were issued after an investigation into government payments of millions of dollars to a Port Moresby legal firm.
“They are not (the) investigating officers of these files,” Mr O’Neill said at press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “That responsibility lies with the task force.”
Papua New Guinea’s multi-agency anti-corruption unit, the Investigation Task Force Sweep, charged one of the nation’s largest law firms in October with offences including conspiracy to defraud, stealing by false pretence and money laundering.