Corruption within government departments is stealing the dreams of Bougainville, the chief secretary of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), Joseph Nobetau, says.
The ABG has sent a strong message that it is cracking down on corruption.
Mr Nobetau said an audit by Papua New Guinea's Departments of Personnel Management and Finance showed Bougainvillean public servants had been stealing by claiming allowances they were not entitled to, paying salaries well in excess of their classification level and paying themselves while not turning up for work.
This follows last month's revelation of about 600 fake names on the public payroll.
With just 10 months until Bougainville's target referendum date and the need to demonstrate good governance to the international community, Mr Noebatu said he was committed to ensuring the fraud squad investigates those matters and that offenders would be held accountable.
