Posted By Staff Reporter
TWENTY-TWO probationary soldiers and five senior military officers from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force have been referred to the police for investigations into allegations of bribery during recruitment, PNG Defence Force deputy chief Captain (Navy) Phillip Polewara says. “PNGDF chief Major-General Gilbert Toropo has directed that the suspected soldiers and senior officers must be referred to Boroko police station detectives to be investigated for allegations of using forged education certificates, bribery, malpractices and non-compliance during the recruitment process in the PNGDF,” he said. He said the allegations arose from a joint military-Education Department investigation.
The senior officers attached to the personnel branch at Murray Barracks and the training unit at the Goldie River Training Deport were identified by a military-police investigation. Capt Polewara said the soldiers, from the first intake of 2020, were now held at the training depot. “They should have been referred earlier to the detectives for further investigation,” he said. “But the senior military officers did not execute swiftly the orders from Maj-Gen Toropo. And so they will be referred together with these 22 soldiers for criminal investigations. “The senior officers will be investigated for allegedly receiving bribes, maladministration, non-compliances and other official corrupt practices.” Capt Polewara said in March 2020, the PNGDF recruitment office was closed because of allegations of bribery raised during the recruitment process. An audit was ordered into the allegations in which time cadets continued their training. In May 2020, the PNGDF announced that 119 recruits had been removed after an internal investigation revealed that the recruitment process had been compromised. It was then that Toropo revealed that staff had been identified to have compromised the recruitment process and would be dealt with under the military discipline code. In May 2020, five officers from the PNGDF were suspended following investigations into the recruitment process. Source : The National / PNG Corruption Watch Next : PNG Agriculture Minister Simon Probing Use Of K22mil Comments are closed.
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