22 May 2012

PNG govt agencies ignoring Supreme Court ruling, says O'Neill

9:07 pm on 22 May 2012

Peter O'Neill says that he remains Papua New Guinea's caretaker Prime Minister ahead of next month's election despite his government being declared illegal by the Supreme Court.

Yesterday's ruling, reiterating the court's December decision that Sir Michael Somare was the country's legitimate Prime Minister, has thrown new uncertainty over the country's lingering political impasse.

Peter O'Neill says the fact that two of the five judges on the panel abstained on the ruling, means a new bench should have been established.

He describes the ruling as mischievous, coming from judges who he says are corrupt.

"And as a result we now have a ruling that is tainted, biased and not enforceable by law. Therefore we are ignoring that and all agencies of government are ignoring that particular order. And therefore the government is now in caretaker mode until the return of writs."

Peter O'Neill

The Somare group has been prevented from entering Government House where it hoped to be sworn in as caretaker government.