Papua New Guinea's Attorney General has blasted the performance of the three senior lawyers who were commissioned to carry out an inquiry into the special agriculture business leases, or SABLs.
The inquiry, which cost the state 15 million kina or 6.8 million US dollars, and was originally supposed to run for three months, has only recently produced a draft report after 18 months.
Kerenga Kua described the work of former chief magistrate John Numapo, and senior lawyers Alois Jerewai and Nicholas Mirou as well below standards expected, especially when the draft coverd only three of the commission's 16 terms of reference.
Mr Kua says these three only deal with legal and administrative issues.
"The commissioners, in my view, ought to have given it a lot more professional dilligence than what they have done. Quite frankly, unless they can publish the report within the next two months for the Prime Minister, it borders on gross negligence and gross professional misconduct."
Papua New Guinea's Attorney General, Kerenga Kua.
