FRANCIS NII
KUNDIAWA– Papua New Guinea police commissioner Gary Baki has claimed in a media statement that prime minister Peter O’Neill’s official corruption case is officially closed.
The long-running saga involves alleged fraudulent payments of K78.4 million of public funds to Paul Paraka Lawyers.
However, according to Bryan Kramer MP on Facebook, Baki may have both rekindled the fire of justice and possibly set a trap for the prime minister and the commissioner.
Baki stated his reason for closing the case was due to lack of evidence.
Whatever reason Baki may employ, though, many Papua New Guineans view the act as a conspiratorial servant-master scheme with no bearing at all on O’Neill’s innocence of the alleged crime.
If Baki thinks his recent action has put a complete end to the case, then he is far from reality in the eyes of Kramer. “If Baki and O’Neill think for a second that this issue will somehow disappear, they are gravely mistaken” warned PNG’s firebrand politician and no non-sense corruption fighter Bryan Kramer.
Kramer stated there is sufficient evidence to commit O’Neill to stand trial and, now that Baki had gone on record to close the case, he, Kramer, will file fresh complaints and proceedings against Baki for conspiring to defeat justice and against O’Neill for official corruption.
Kramer said that Baki needs to be summoned to explain in court the circumstances that led to Baki’s appointment as commissioner, his role in dismantling the National Fraud Squad, his role in establishing the unconstitutional committee to ‘vet’ allegations of major leadership crimes, siding with O’Neill in national and supreme court proceedings seeking to stay the warrant of arrest against O’Neill and now the most statement that the case against O’Neill is closed.
This high profile case has spanned more than three years and cost PNG state millions of kina in legal fees has not seen a proper trial. Instead, justice has been gagged, evaded and denied through numerous stay orders until the case hit a technical dead end through a supreme court ruling that quashed an arrest warrant against O’Neill on a minor technical glitch.
This effectively put an end to a proper trial on the substantive matter. This failre of the justice system has been harshly criticised and is regarded with great suspicion by the vast majority of educated Papua New Guineans.
Many people want the case be accorded a proper trial in a prudent court of justice. Only through an appropriate trial of the substantive matter will Papua New Guineans see a true and just outcome of this case. This the lingering wish and desire of our people.
If anyone is capable of ensuring this matter finds a just resolution, it is Bryan Kramer who must be commended for intenting to resurrect the case.
We pray and hope that justice will eventually prevail.