Former Prime Minister (PM) and Member for Ialibu-Pangia, Peter O’Neil has released a 32-page report online, shedding light on payments made by the Department of Finance under the Connect PNG program.
Mr. O’Neil revealed that the report, initially presented in Parliament on February 14, 2024, contains details of approximately 1, 400 transactions.
In a social media post today (February 19th, 2024), Mr. O’Neil again disclosed that the information was provided by a whistle-blower, outlining the Department of Finance’s transaction history for all Connect PNG cheques and transfers from April 14th, 2021, to January 22nd, 2024.
The report indicates a total expenditure of just under two billion Kina (K1, 933,364,152.94) over a span of two and a half years.
Among the payments highlighted, several are deemed questionable and requiring further investigation, as they appear to provide no tangible benefit to the Connect PNG program, according to Mr O’Neil.
Mr. O’Neil urged the public to access the report via a provided link, https://peteroneill.info/ citing a lack of credible responses from PM James Marape and Works Minister Solan Mirisim regarding contracts and payments under Connect PNG.
PM Marape had defended the transparency of the Connect PNG program, disputing Mr. O’Neil’s claims of impropriety, as highlighted in a previous statement issued by Mr O’Neil yesterday.
However, Mr. O’Neil maintains his allegations, labelling Connect PNG as an “outright scam” and alleging misuse of funds.
In today’s post, Mr. O’Neil emphasized the importance of transparency, stating that the people of Papua New Guinea deserve to know how their money is being spent, as he continues to push for accountability within the program.