Papua New Guinea: TIPNG calls for greater scope for the Commission of Inquiry into Finance department

Transparency International today calls for more time to be given to the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Finance Department for all relevant investigations to be conducted fully.

TIPNG acknowledges the new extension given to the CoI announced last week. The anti-corruption NGO says that the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has made the right choice in granting the CoI extra time, however TIPNG urges the PM to be even more flexible in granting the Commission of Inquiry into the Finance Department the scope it needs to do a proper job. It is very important that enough time be granted to the CoI given that it is scheduled to hear 33 cases alone in the next two weeks.

TIPNG concludes by congratulating the CoI into the Finance Department for its work to date and for persisting despite great administrative and legal frustrations. TIPNG says that these frustrations are further cause for the extension of the CoI's timeframe and also a cause to demand whole-hearted Government support extending beyond a one-month extension on the reporting date.