Papua New Guinea Minister for Forest Douglas Tomuriesa has urged the media to report facts and not to sensationalise reports. The minister was responding to a news report in weekly newspaper Sunday Bulletin that claimed he had employed a consultant at an exorbitant salary rate. Mr Tomuriesa said the report by a reporter (named) alleging him (Tomuriesa) of employing a James Kiale as a consultant and paying him K3000 daily is misleading and incorrect. “I am a policy maker and not a bureaucrat to hire and pay people. I only make recommendations to the board and they decide, they do their due diligence and they recruit and pay people. Not me, it is not my job,” he said.
Tomuriesa said James Kaile was recruited by the board based on merit to help with the reviews of the laws and polices currently underway and other important policy guidelines they are undertaking. Tomuriesa said the news report is far from the truth and is misleading in its suggestion that I pay him K3000 a day. “Who can pay K3000 a day to a person? It is ridiculous and only sensationalising an issue out of nothing by a reporter with vested interest. Yes he was engaged but he is not paid from 2018 to 2019. I understand he was paid K30,000 some time ago but his cheque bounced back from the bank, for reasons that I do not know.” “The invoice that was reported on the newspaper is only a claim for his missed wages and that is not even paid. It was only a claim that has to go through the vetting process by the people at accounts and they will advise the managing director in accordance if it is excessive so why publish a report based on something that has not been paid (yet) and a process that was not completed?” “This is poor investigative journalism by (named reporter) and his newspaper who came out of nothing to make it an issue,” the minister said. Tomuriesa said the appointment of James Kiale was based on his credentials as he has a masters qualification in economics and relevant work experience in delivering economic projects in the country. “A K30,000 cheque was paid to him but I understand the cheque bounced back at the bank but I do not know the reason.” “I’m calling on (named reporter) to come for a media conference tomorrow and I will give him and the other media the facts, the information and other necessary documents in relation to the matter at 10am at the National Forest office on Monday (today),” he said. Press Release Comments are closed.
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