The president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Papua New Guinea's capital is alleging government corruption is behind the rezoning of a popular recreation ground.
A recent Supreme Court decision allows for Port Moresby's National Capital District Commission's challenge to the commercial rezoning of Unagi Park to be heard in the National Court.
The city's governor says the decision follows an appeal by two companies against a National Court decision last year in which the commission sought a review of ministerial approval of the park's re-zoning from open space to a commercial area.
Ron Seddan says the chamber wants the park for the public.
"There's little or no public space here for the inhabitants of Port Moresby as it is and that was one of the few places that they did have. And now business is trying to take it away but that's not the business that's represented by the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It should never be allowed to happen but unfortunately like a lot of third world countries we do have a lot of corruption within various government departments and that's the only way that I can see that this has happened."
Ron Seddan of the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
