Namah rejects PNG conspiracy claim

Transcript

The opposition leader in Papua New Guinea is denying an accusation by the prime minister that he is conspiring to overthrow the government.

Belden Namah says he made a formal complaint to the police against the Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, the treasurer Don Polye and the finance minister James Marape, which led to three sets of arrest warrants being issued against the trio.

Mr Namah told Beverley Tse the warrants are legitimate as they were issued after he filed the complaint, which relates to the prime minister's alleged involvement in illegal funds transfered from the finance ministry to the firm, Paul Paraka Lawyers.

BELDEN NAMAH: As the leader of the opposition, I made a formal complaint against the prime minister, Peter O'Neill, for his part in the fraudulent .... of 71.8 million to Paul Paraka Lawyers. I later complained on 29 October 2013. When I made that complaint it was made to the police commissioner and not to Task Force Sweep, basically because the police is an establishment of the constitution, and the office of the police commissioner is an establishment by the constitution of our country. It is a constitutional office order. So when I made a complaint, the director of fraud, Senior Chief Superintendent of the Papua New Guinea Fraud Squad entered the complaint on the police OB report and came up with the Frauds Crime Report Number 185 of 2013, following which the officers from the Papua New Guinea Fraud Squad office took the complaint, made the investigations and came up with the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, his treasurer Don Polye and the finance minister James Marape - three arrest warrants each. One is for conspiracy to defraud the state, the other one is using their office to authorise unlawful payment to Paul Paraka Lawyers and official corruption. Following the arrest warrants, there is also a court order which was obtained on 4 December 2013 and the order was to restrain the police commissioner, his deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners and other persons howsoever otherwise to restrain them from issuing any formal or informal, written or verbal directives to delay or frustrate the execution of warrant of arrest. Because I believe that order, they anticipated that Peter O'Neill being the prime minister and also the police minister, might pervert the course of justice by giving directions to a commissioner not to execute warrants against them.

BEVERLEY TSE: So what has happened now, because three sets of warrants are out for their arrest now? And I understand that a senior constable of the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate, Robert Ewail, he went and obtained these.

BN: What happens now is that after learning of the warrant for arrest against him and his two ministers, Peter O'Neill has decided to go to the Waigani Grade V commital court to try to set aside the warrant of arrest. And our law is simple. There's only law for all.

BT: Can I just get your thoughts on this...?

BN: As far as I'm concerned it's only an interim stay until tomorrow 9:30am when all parties will appear before the committal court. So it's only interim until tomorrow 9:30am. We will now wait for the outcome for the decision by the magistrate.

BT: The Papua New Guinea prime minister is saying that you are conspiring with some rogue policemen to basically overthrow the government. He's saying that this is a political stunt.

BN: Let me put it on record that I do not conspire and I have not conspired, I will not conspire with anyone to overthrow a duly elected government. My concern is that I'm a complainant. I laid an official complaint on 29 October 2013 for a very serious crime of corruption in Papua New Guinea. And the complaint is against the prime minister. I am not conspiring to overthrow, I am laying a complaint that corruption of this magnitude must stop.

BT: Did you have anything to do with the senior constable Robert Ewail who went to obtain those arrest warrants?

BN: I have not conspired with Robert Ewail. Robert Ewail is a very senior constable with the Papua New Guinea Fraud Squad office and he has a record of 20 years as the fraud squad officer. He has arrested and charged ministers and members of parliament before. However, they dealt with my complaint I laid an official complaint and a crime report number was raised. And he's been working there. He has a duty under Section 197 of the constitution as the policeman to deal with my complaint.

BT: The prime minister has said that Robert Ewail does not have the authority to go and obtain those arrest warrants.

BN: Well, the prime minister is basically saying that no policeman has the authority to arrest anybody if you can put his statement in that perspective. That's a very wrong statement from a chief executive of the nation.

BT: The reason why the prime minister said that was because Robert Ewail has not been involved in this Task Force Sweep operation into the money that came from the government coffers to Paul Paraka Lawyers. So he's saying that, therefore, Robert Ewail did not have the authority to go ahead and do that 'cause he hasn't been involved.

BN: I already explained to you. The complaint against Paul Paraka, there are two different complaints - one made from the prime minister's office by whoever. The one that Robert Ewail is dealing with is my complaint and I made a complaint to the office of the police commissioner, not to the Task Force Sweep office. Two separate issues here, but one crime being committed. The full report number was raised at the fraud squad office in Konedobu in Port Moresby. And that is where Robert Ewall works as the senior detective constable in the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate at the police headquarters. So he would be the right person, or anybody who works there, to pick up my complaint and work on it. It's not for Task Force Sweep. To put everything into perspective, there are two different complaints - one against Paul Paraka made by someone, and that was handled by Task Force Sweep. My complaint against Peter O'Neill and those two ministers is with the police commissioner.

BT: The prime minister said they have got a police investigation team looking into the manner in which these arrest warrants were obtained and he said the magistrate who actually issued the warrants of arrest and a court order has gone on leave and the court papers have disappeared. What's your response to that?

BN: Well, let me say this also - how can the prime minister, being accused in my complaint, commission a task force to investigate a warrant for arrest against him? Where in the world do you see, when a president is being impeached, that he has established a task force of investigators to investigate. This is a serious breach. It's to do with moral principles and ethical principles of leadership. He is the principle accused in my complaint. He is the police minister. I have already called on him many, many times to relinquish the police ministry, to step aside as the prime minister and allow for the normal process of law to take place. It is not for him and me to prove our innocence and guilt in the media or on the floor of parliament, the proper forum is the court of law.