PNG: Moti report rejected by Defence Minister
Updated
Papua New Guinea's Defence Minister has officially rejected a report that found Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare responsible for the escape of wanted Australian lawyer Julian Moti to Solomon Islands last year. The PNG defence force board of inquiry took three months to complete and cost half a million Australian dollars. It recommended Sir Michael Somare be charged over the escape. Julian Moti is now the Solomon Islands Attorney General and has refused to return to Australia to face child sex charges
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speakers: Steve Marshall, PNG correspondent
STEVE MARSHAL: The Minister told a press conference with local journalists in attendance that he considered that none of the findings of the Defence Force board of inquiry report should be accepted and none of the recommendations should be implemented. He said that the head of the Defence Force board of inquiry should have been a member of the military and ofcourse Supreme Court Judge Justice Gibbs Salika is not and that the proceedings of the Defence Force Board of Inquiry overstepped its jurisdiction and it was tainted by bias.
BRUCE HILL: You said the Minister made these statements with local journalists, were the overseas press there there?
STEVE MARSHAL: No they weren't and we're not sure what the reason is for that. We've not had no response from the minister's office - the Defence Minister's Office - in regards to why international journalists were not invited to this particular press conference. But what is interesting was that the Defence Minister, Mr Bob Dadae was not receiving any questions from those reporters that were there. He refused to comment. For example when the local newspaper the Post Courier thought that his decision to throw out the reports findings, would reinforce the public perception that there were two laws, one for the ordinary Papua New Guineans and another for PNG leaders.
BRUCE HILL: Well if he's thrown this report out, is this the end of the matter - is this where the trial runs out?
STEVE MARSHAL: One would imagine so but its very hard to see the report getting resurrected in an official capacity. Of course the report is available on the internet to any Papua New Guinean that wishes to read it. It was linked a month or to ago …
BRUCE HILL: But I understand that Sir Michael Somare is saying that they can't find a copy of the report.
STEVE MARSHAL: Well Sir Michael Somare says he can't find a copy of the report he moved house during - just after his election when he was re-elected and the report somehow was misplaced. And even the Defence Minister has had to download a copy of the Moti report from the internet himself.
BRUCE HILL: What's the response to this going to be in Papua New Guinea?
STEVE MARSHAL: Well look its over a year now that Julian Moti escaped from Port Moresby to the Solomon Islands on board that PNG Defence Force plane and for the better part of the year its been front page news whenever something has happened with the Moti report. However this latest news with the Minister dismissing the report that is now on page seven of the local newspaper, the Post Courier, so I think this whole Moti saga is running out of steam.
BRUCE HILL: So its no longer front page news?
STEVE MARSHAL: Definitely not.
