24 Jun 2004

PNG corruption reportedly deepened

3:47 pm on 24 June 2004

The Papua New Guinea chapter of the anti-corruption group, Transparency International, says the corrupt in PNG are becoming much more sophisticated operators.

TI's spokesman Mike Manning says they want to see the establishment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption to combat this.

He says its needed principally because people are becoming more clever in hiding the paper trails involving large amounts of money.

"For instance in the Cairns Observatory case where we had a commission of inquiry there was a difference in price within nine months of around ten million Australian dollars for the price of the building, yet no one has been charged and no body has been found to have gained from that large amount of money"

He says would be looking for forensic accountants and sleuths who can follows the paper trails and gain access to the necessary information. .