Peter O'Neill

He said the decision is an example of a robust and totally independent judiciary, but said he will defend right of future governments to be free of malicious use of law.

“I welcome the decision of the three-man bench of the supreme court today.”

“This is another indication that the judiciary in Papua New Guinea is vibrant and independent in its decision making,” Prime Minister O’Neill said in a statement.

This follows a PNG Supreme Court ruling today dismissing O’Neill’s  attempt to stop the Task Force Sweep from investigating him.

A three-man bench of the Supreme Court at 9.30 am dismissed all orders preventing  the Task Force Sweep from further investigating the matter.

“The permanent parliamentary committee on private business resolved in a meeting that the VONC presented be required due diligence checks to ascertain the compliance with parliamentary practice and ensure that procedural qualifications have been met,” Acting Speaker Aide Ganasi wrote in a letter to the Opposition Leader Don Polye.

Ganasi is chairman of the parliamentary committee.

When responding to Don Polye’s questions today on the PNG LNG project revenues, O’Neill said he has no business or stolen any money for his own personnel interest.

He called on Polye to give evidence and not come up with allegations to destroy the reputation of the government.

“Sopos yu gat wanpla evidens, yu tromoi toktok lo wei igat mining lo em. Noken tromoi toktok nating nating lo kirapim bel blo ol pipol blo yumi. (If you have any evidence, prove it. Do not debate on issues that will stir up our people’s feelings.)

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill made those bold remarks when responding to questions without notice from Member for Chuave Wera Mori in Parliament today.   

The Vice Minister for Mining directed his questions to the Prime Minister as the Public Service Minister Sir Puka Temu was not in the chamber.     

Mori questioned why, “Officials from the Department of Mineral Policy and Geo-hazards Management paid themselves hefty fees for concluding state negotiation on probably the Wafi-Golpu Project amounting to a million Kina or more.”  

When responding to Polye’s question during Question Time in today’s Parliament session, on why he (O’Neill) should not allow the police to clear him, O’Neill in a defensive tone said he could not, on a political witch hunt subject himself to such ridicule to undermine the office of the Prime Minister and set the precedence.

However, he stated in Parliament that: “ If there is evidence that I have received one financial benefit I will resign tomorrow.”

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in his Easter message said this year, the celebration of the victory of good over evil is very important in a troubled world.

“To me the Easter story is quite simple but it is certainly profound. It represents the victory and triumph of good over evil.

“On the first Good Friday, Jesus Christ was cruelly and unjustly executed on the cross, and on the first Easter Day he triumphed over injustice and evil by his resurrection.

However, O’Neill said it will take a lengthy process.

He said the government has already established the Electoral Boundaries Commission which comes under the supervision of the Electoral Commissioner to look into the electoral boundaries.

“Once they visit all the electorates in the country, they will then report back to the government to make recommendations.”

He said the last electoral boundary report presented to parliament was in the last term of parliament that was rejected by Parliament because of some fault in the report.

Opposition Leader Don Polye made the call and said the country’s 3.1 per cent population growth rate was too high when compared to developed economy like New Zealand, which has only 0.88 percent growth rate with a population of about 4.6 million.

“If the basic services provided by the government are not on par with the country’s population growth, PNG is sitting on a time bomb,” Polye warned.

He added the country’s Census in 2010 recorded about 7.3 million people.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill when meeting his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull during the 24^th PNG-Australia Ministerial Forum discussed progress in processing asylum seeker claims and the refugee resettlement program.

O’Neill said the processing of asylum seeker claims takes time, and both sides are working to see the centre closed in the future.

“It has served the purpose to stop people smuggling and the loss of life at sea, and at the appropriate time it will close.