Probe of Papua New Guinea logging ‘bribes’
Greg Roberts; 20/8/08
Papua New Guinea’s anti-corruption watchdog is investigating the alleged payment of millions of dollars in bribes from the logging industry to ministers in the Government of Prime Minister Michael Somare. PNG government sources said yesterday the Ombudsman Commission of PNG was examining the Singapore bank accounts of two ministers. It would investigate suggestions that some payments were channelled through the Cairns branch of an Australian bank. Media reports in PNG claimed there was a money trail of corrupt payments from Singapore through Australia to Port Moresby, with $US27million ($31 million) being withdrawn from one account around the time of last year’s PNG national elections.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24208462-2703,00.html
Tags: Corruption, Environment, PNG