PNG leaders paid off by Taiwan: lawyer
Rowan Callick; 17/5/08
Papua New Guinea’s Planning Minister Paul Tiensten signed, when acting foreign minister, a draft communique switching the country’s diplomatic recognition from China to Taiwan. And lawyer Florian Gubon, a former chairman of Telikom, PNG’s equivalent of Telstra, said he was authorised by Prime Minister Michael Somare to receive $220,000 from the Taiwan Government for the travel costs of a delegation to Taipei led by Mr Tiensten. These are among the latest revelations in the growing scandal involving $32million deployed by the outgoing Taiwan Government via two Taiwanese middle-men to secure PNG’s switched loyalty 18 months ago.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23710387-25837,00.html