Ombudsman Commission

Therefore the Commission is empowering voters for quality leadership through its election awareness program.

Making the right choice! A simple but critical message for eligible voters in the country and who better to lead the way than the watchdog, the Ombudsman Commission.

The high number of leaders referred by the OC for alleged misconduct in office shows that PNG needs leaders with high moral standards to take the country forward in the next 40 years.

Bawa: My case was a witch hunt

Former NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Andy Bawa, whose case was dismissed in the Waigani National Court today, has described his case as a witch hunt.

http://www.looppng.com/png-news/bawa-my-case-was-witch-hunt-51920

The Opposition last week gave documents of what it claimed was a fraudulent land purchase to OC to investigate Defence Minister Fabian Pok and State Owned Enterprise Minister William Duma.

Both Ministers voluntary stepped aside on Monday to allow for the Commission of Inquiry to conduct investigations into the land purchase for the relocation of PNGDF establishments out of Port Moresby.        

“I went and gave the Ombudsman the full documents, knowing well that the Ombudsman Commission does not have the full capacity, I did my job,” said the Opposition Leader.

The OC wants to find out whether the proposed increase of nomination fees, from K1,000 to K10,000, and the security of costs of an election petition, from K5,000 to K20,000, are constitutional.

“The Commission, through the Supreme Court Reference, will ask the Court to consider the question of whether the proposed amendments to section 103 of the Constitution, and section 87 and section 209 of the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government Elections are constitutional,” the OC said in a statement.

“The Commission notes the seriousness of these allegations and the great public interest surrounding it and urges all parties involved to follow proper channels and procedures to seek redress,” says the OC in a statement.

Acting Chief Ombudsman, Michael Dick, says like any other complaint, the OC will assess the grievance through its screening process under both the Leadership Code and the administrative complaints functions. They will then determine whether to carry out an investigation or not.

A Supreme Court bench consisting of five judges refused the application because it was incompetent and an abuse of the court process.

The court will now proceed to hear arguments from parties in the reference under section 18 (1) of the constitution. This will take place at a later time.

The application which was refused last Friday was filed on Oct 20.

The application asked the five-man Supreme Court bench to allow the Ombudsman Commission to include additional materials or facts into the reference book, to assist the court in its deliberation of the reference.

On Sept 2, a five-man Supreme Court bench found that the process involved in the referral of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for prosecution under the Leadership Code in relation to the K3 billion Union Bank of Switzerland loan was unconstitutional.

The case in the National Court was referred to the Supreme Court by Justice Collin Makail returned before him on Tuesday.

Justice Makail told the court the OC should immediately come back and advise the court on its position since the Supreme Court ruling in September.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia in a directions hearing on Friday fixed the hearing date for the reference on Tuesday, Dec 13 before a three-judge Supreme Court Bench.

Parties in the case; the Ombudsmen Commission, Former Chief Ombudsman Rigo Lua and former Acting Chief Ombudsman Phoebe Sangetari, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, and the Attorney General were ordered to file their arguments by the end of November.

The Ombudsman Commission was also ordered to file notices of the hearing to the Prime Minister’s lawyer and the Attorney General.

Lawyers representing the Ombudsman Commission, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, the Attorney General and the State appeared before the Supreme Court today and were directed to file statements within the next two weeks that will be used in the case hearing.

Former Chief Ombudsman Rigo Lua and former Acting Chief Ombudsman Phoebe Sangetari are also parties in this case as interveners.

They were all directed to return to court on Oct 3 where the draft index book is expected to be settled before a hearing date for the Supreme Court Special Reference is set.

Polye said he was not talking down the country’s investment and the economy but was shedding a light on realities.

When commenting on the project, Polye said he would not be surprised to see this project as another scam to bleed taxpayers’ money.

He said when he was the Treasury Minister he budgeted K50 million for Sepik Plain under a commercialisation plan.