It has been revealed that the Papua New Guinea Defence Force is riddled with debt running into millions of US dollars and that it is not in a position to come to the aid of the country if needed.
The Post Courier says an Independent Investigation Committee has found that money allocated for the army to carry out its duties, including building preparedness for national and international security, has been compromised.
The report highlighted that the control of the army was not in the hands of the Commander and his senior officers but in the hands of civilians and the Defence Secretary as they control the money.
It found that all the PNG defence force funds have been spent, not for defence force purposes but for civilian staff purposes including sick leave.
The committee recommended that the control of the funds should be placed in the hands of the commander and a full investigation be conducted into the payments.
