Peter O’Neill arrest warrant hearings adjourned for a week
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Version 0 of 1. Court hearings into a stay application on an arrest warrant for the Papua New Guinea prime minister, Peter O'Neill, have been adjourned for a week, amid fears the government plans to scrap the country's anti-corruption watchdog. Lawyers for O'Neill have spent the past two days trying to get a court injunction on the arrest warrant, which was issued over the weekend following a recommendation from the PNG watchdog. PNG's National Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday reported Justice Ere Kariko adjourned the matter to next Wednesday to allow police lawyers to seek further instructions from their clients. On Monday it was revealed a police warrant had been issued for O'Neill based on a recommendation from PNG's corruption watchdog, Task Force Sweep, amid allegations he authorised about $30m in illegal payments to law firm Paul Paraka Lawyers. O'Neill has long denied the allegation. On Tuesday, O'Neill said the warrant was politically motivated. He also sacked his attorney general, Kerenga Kua. Kua opposed the government's campaign to narrow the criteria of how prime ministers are elected following a vote of no confidence. "It is unfortunate that I've had to take this decision at this time, but I must do so in the interests of government and its stability," O'Neill said in a statement. Media reports out of Port Moresby indicate the new attorney general, Ano Pala, has been instructed to sideline Task Force Sweep, which was set up shortly after O'Neill took office in 2011. When asked on social media if this was the case, Task Force Sweep chair, Sam Koim, indicated it was. But he declined to answer further questions. Police on Tuesday agreed to hold off on following through on O'Neill's arrest until the court makes a decision. But they renewed their invitation for him to front police headquarters for an interview. Former treasurer Don Polye, sacked by O'Neill in February, called on the PM to front the police for questioning. "The interest of the nation and the people, and very important constitutional, parliamentary and legal principles are at stake in the matter of the PM's involvement or otherwise in ‘Parakagate’," he said in a statement. The opposition leader, Belden Namah, has also called on Mr O'Neill to stand down. The government is expected to introduce legislation on 24 June to restrict prime ministerial candidates to members of the largest parliamentary party in the event of a vote of no confidence. O'Neill's People's National Congress has the largest party in PNG's 111 member single house of parliament, although his government is made of a coalition of parties. |