Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says he has no regrets about the deportation of New Zealand businessman Graham Osborne.
Mr Osborne, who operates the Ela Beach Hotel restaurant in Port Moresby, is a close friend of Mr O'Neill's rival for the prime ministership, Sir Michael Somare.
The Post Courier newspaper reports Mr O'Neill as saying Mr Osborne was deported because he tried to access hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for PNG's bid to get a team into the National Rugby League.
Mr O'Neill claims this money was being obtained under the guise of renovating the national stadium but was in fact to fund political operations.
Mr Osborne, who is now in Cairns, denies the claims.
