The Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) has denied landowner claims owed to beneficiaries for outstanding payments.
This is in response to media seeking clarification from claims by certain Mt Fubilan Landowners that a court ordered Mine Pit Benefit payments have not been made by OTML.
LO’s claim that documents verifying that court ordered payments were submitted to OTML and are yet to receive a response, however, OTML confirms to receiving this and had responded in February.
A Company spokesperson said: “OTML has been paying all benefits due to the landowners including monthly royalties and annual lease payments unless directed by a Court of competent jurisdiction to withhold payments.”
There are no benefits parked and/ or managed by OTML in trust accounts awaiting distribution or decision of the Court.
Bultem, Finalbin, Kaborabip and Atemkit are the four Special Mining Lease villages receiving their monthly royalty and annual lease payments since mining commenced its operations. The concerned clan is a beneficiary to these royalty and lease payments as per their internal benefit distribution arrangement.
OTML’s spokesperson added: “OTML does not pay any form of special payment or such payment as Mine Pit Benefits to any particular SML landowners, Incorporated Land Groups or leaders for that matter.
“As far as OTML is concerned, this is an inter clan issue of how the funds and benefits are being distributed from within one particular clan group, and not involving the whole SML villages where there are other clans who are landowners.”
Though an agreement was reached between the clan on the sharing of benefits, there are now challenges by this clan on the ownership of the SML, which is a separate matter.
Supporting the OTML stance, the mine landowners refuted the Kimka Sepian claim for the SML ownership, stating Kimka Sepian matter as an internal matter on benefit distribution, not ownership.
They said the four SML villages are a communal ownership, therefore and anything relating to land ownership should involve the four villages and not one clan or leader.