FORMER Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has welcomed the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the UBS deal but has questioned the appointment of former Chief Justice Salamo Injia as chairman. O’Neill in a statement said: “This CoI will put to rest the debate and misinformation that has surrounded the UBS deal. “It is also essential that the CoI is conducted in a manner that is not only carried out properly and without bias, but is also seen to be carried out properly and without bias.” O’Neill said the public, business community and interested stakeholders needed to know that the CoI would not be undermined and could eventually fail if there were inconsistencies in the way technical financial evidence was heard and debated.
“For this reason the appointment of the former chief justice (Salamo Injia) as the chair needs to be reconsidered and further discussed.” O’Neill claimed it was in both the interests of the conduct of the inquiry, and for Sir Salamo’s reputation. He said: “Our respected former chief justice has presided over many cases for and against governments in the past that have been highly political in nature and controversial.” O’Neill said the complexities of the financial transaction required a chairman with significant commercial law experience. “It is, therefore, necessary that a senior overseas judge with the highest standing in commercial and financial experience be appointed to avoid apprehension of bias.” O’Neill said, without this background in the chair, it could be anticipated that the COI would be seen to be hindered and so perceived as biased and politically motivated. “The country deserves this (UBS loan) to be inquired in a transparent manner without political influences,” he said. “Getting to the bottom of this drawn out, sensationalise and politicised issue is in the best interests of our country and for all parties involved. We must ensure that we get the process right the first time and not have to revisit this issue again if the COI is not established and operated to the highest level of commercial legal comprehension and transparency.” Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua, however, said Sir Salamo has substantial experience and integrity and would do an excellent job in the inquiry. Kua dismissed any insinuations of bias on the part of the former chief justice (Sir Salamo) in this appointment, especially those raised by O’Neill. He said Sir Salamo was an experienced judge and knows enough to compartmentalise issues. He added that O’Neill’s suggestion that the former chief justice’s involvement in many cases of highly political and controversial nature both for and against the governments in the past does not necessary lead to a conflict of interest. Kua applauded the appointments of Sir Salamo as the head of the inquiry to be conducted under the Commission of Inquiry Act and Sam Koim as counsel assisting the CoI. The National/PNGfacts Next : Air Niugini Suspends Operations To Buka, Increases Flights To Kieta Comments are closed.
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