As Papua New Guinea enters preparation for APEC 2018, the international community can no longer turn a blind eye to the latest battle in the ongoing corruption saga engulfing the top echelons of power.
The National Court issued orders on Monday to stay the suspension of the chief anti-corruption investigator Matthew Damaru after he was removed from office early Saturday morning. A further order was issued to stop any other form of intimidation or interference by the state or its actors in their investigations.
However, Monday's court decision led to an open confrontation by rival elements at the fraud squad's headquarters.
It was alleged officers loyal to Police Commissioner Gari Baki had locked down Damaru's office with chains, were changing the locks and had locked other directorate officers out of the building.
Global corruption watchers Transparency International told Xinhua on Monday the disturbing developments may be a turning point in the fight against corruption in PNG as the reasons for removal “seem to be fairly procedural” to essentially interfere in the course of justice.
“The feeling at the moment is that people are particularly horrified, and there now appears to be a level of interference in due course of justice, (are) wanting to see a change,” Transparency International PNG chairman Lawrence Stephens told Xinhua.
“People are actually dying because there is no money available for medicines and various other things that are required in the country, and we have here, evidence of huge amounts of money being siphoned off and people are arguing over whether (investigators) are following the right procedures.”
Corruption has been a systemic issue since before PNG's independence in 1975, however, the pacific nation has a history of conducting inquiries, referring people for prosecution only for further action to subside.
“People have been able to somehow simply wait out until things fade,” Stephens said.
“It's always possible that could happen again.”
However, as PNG gears up to host the APEC Leaders Summit in 2018, the international community can no longer ignore these systemic issues that bring instability to the region.
“Stability is not just political stability but stability in the functioning of democracy (as) the rule of law is a pillar that ensures a well-oiled democracy," chairman of the now disbanded anti-corruption investigation Taskforce Sweep, Sam Koim, told Xinhua.
“When there is clear affront to the rule of law, that creates instability and for that reason the neighbours should be concerned about the instability in the neighbourhood.”
“If they are not concerned, I don't know what standards we are setting.”
Papua New Guinea is ranked 139 out of 167 countries in Transparency International's global corruption perception index.
(Reinstated fraud squad director Matthew Damaru [in white] outside the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate yesterday. – Loop PNG picture)