The Namatanai District Development Authority has received K7 million in royalty money from the Lihir Mine.
Namatanai MP Walter Schnaubelt announced this at the recent opening of the Namatanai BSP branch.
Schnaubelt said both Namatanai and Kavieng districts would review the agreement to ensure that the provincial government does not get the shares of Namatanai and Kavieng districts.
“We will not let this money go into the hands of other people.
“Since 2007 to 2021 the Lihir Royalty money totaling K412 million was being paid to the New Ireland Provincial government and yet there were no records of how these monies had been spent.
“The provincial government must acquit to Mineral Resources Authority on how they had spent the monies belonging to the people of Namatanai and Kavieng districts,” said Schnaubelt.
Meanwhile, a Special Investigation team had been tasked to investigate on how the K412m was spent. A report will be released soon.
The member said the people of Namatanai have had no access to these monies, otherwise the district would have been developed.
“We are now playing catchup to get Namatanai to be the model district and we will bring development to the people.
“We have already started with the “Stretim Ai Dua” concept of delivering projects and services to the people at their door steps and we have plans to expand further.
“With the BSP bank opening and the airport soon to open, Namatanai is set for major developments,” Minister Schnaubelt said.