Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Bill

When addressing the nation on Wednesday night, he assured the nation that the ICAC Bill will be introduced to save our nation from wastage that is happening through corruption, nepotism (wantok system) and many wasted opportunities that we have seen in the past.

“Our society must be free of systematic abuse from corruption. Every one of us has the right to talk about these issues,” he stated.

“I will not be hiding anyone behind my government. Every one of us, leaders included, must stand to face the rule of law in our country.

Secretary of the Constitutional Law Reform Commission, Dr Eric Kwa, says under the ICAC Bill, any corrupt activity at the National to Local Government Level will be dealt with, unlike the OC.

He said when the ICAC Bill was first proposed, there were questions raised about the duplicated roles it would serve in parallel with the Ombudsman Commission.

However, Dr Kwa clarified that both institutions play very different roles, with the OC only dealing with specific leaders in the country while the ICAC has a much wider reach.

Constitutional Law Reform Commission (CLRC) Secretary, Dr Eric Kwa, said this during his keynote address to auditors attending the 13^th Annual Conference of the Institute of Internal Auditors PNG Chapter.

He said under the ICAC Bill, any third party such as auditors who come across corrupt dealings but do not report them will be prosecuted.

Speaking at the 13^th Annual Conference, Dr Eric Kwa said the ICAC Bill allows for the prosecution of third parties who turn a blind eye to corrupt activities.

He said since taking on the role, he has already spoken with key governance agencies and there is already a movement to ensure necessary procedures are complied with to get the ICAC bill back on the agenda.

The Attorney General, however, says having the bill passed will not be as easy as they do not enjoy the numbers they had previously in the 9^th parliament, as a constitutional bill requires a majority vote.