K22 million fiasco in PNG’s agri development funds

 News that matter in Papua New Guinea

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K22 million fiasco in PNG’s agri development funds

PORT MORESBY: A total of K22.7 million for agricultural projects in districts was paid out to companies and employees of the Agriculture and Livestock Department (DAL), Minister John Simon says.

“The money is gone. I cannot retrieve any,” he added.

So, farmers nationwide will not be getting any development funds.

So, who is to be blamed for the fiasco?

Read the details as reported by The National:

Minister probing use of K22mil

July 12, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
A TOTAL of K22.7 million intended for agricultural projects in districts was instead paid out to companies and employees of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), according to Minister John Simon.
“The money is gone. I cannot retrieve any,” he said.
“The money amounting to K24mil was to be allocated as the first tranche-disbursement list through the public investment programme implementation schedule.
“Under the schedule, seven districts and two provinces were to receive the funding through their treasury offices.
“However, that K24mil was disbursed to various companies, cash advances, clothes and electrical equipment for staff of DAL.”
In total, 101 companies in three provinces received cheques for various items. He denied that MPs had received the money.
“The remittance list was only done in May this year,” he said.
He found out about the matter in June and checked with the Finance Ministry “after I noted that a machine that printed the purported cheques for Government MPs was removed from the DAL office at the Central Government Office in Waigani and taken to a house in a suburb (named) in Port Moresby”.
“Through Finance, I noted all the payments and saw that K22.7 mil was gone,” he said.
Simon raised the issue with Finance secretary Dr Ken Ngangan after he was made aware of the printing of cheques in hotels around the city.
Yesterday, The National obtained the list of hotels, hire car companies, clothes and electrical companies which received cheques totaling K22.7 million. The funds were to be allocated to the provinces and districts including East Sepik and Western.
Simon apologised to fellow ministers, governors and MPs whose names had been “dragged through the mud”.

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