The Papua New Guinea government has yet to hand Fijji the balance of the F$40 million (50m Kina) it had promised for the 2014 General Elections.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola confirmed this in an email to the Fiji Sun newspaper.
“Has the PNG government handed the rest of the $50million Kina it had promised to the Prime Minister?”
Ratu Inoke’s reply was – “Not yet.”
“The first installment was provided before the elections and as promised the next would be in 2015,” he said.
As of yesterday, he said the promised amount had yet to be received.
Speaking to Radio New Zealand International in February this year PNG’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato said PNG had paid the first installment before the election and it would pay the remainder after the poll.
He said the remaining funds were ready to be disbursed and he had reaffirmed that PNG would continue to support Fiji in implementing its parliamentary reforms.
“The Papua New Guinea government is committed to paying the balance of a 20-million US dollar grant to Fiji to help pay for last year’s Fiji elections,” he said.