Prime Minister James Marabe clarified allegations regarding payments to jailed lawyer Paul Paraka in his capacity as Finance Minister in 2012.
“I want to assure the people of Papua New Guinea that I have consistently acted in accordance with the law and the directives given to me,” the PM said.
“First and foremost, I categorically state that I have never once directed for any payment to be made to Paraka. On the contrary, I explicitly directed not to make the payment when the former Prime Minister instructed me not to do so. I have been a State witness in relation to these payments since 2013, and I have submitted my statement to the police, who possess a record of my testimony.”
In July/August 2012, during Marape’s tenure as Finance Minister, a claim from Paraka’s lawyers for the balance of purported payments was presented to his office, accompanied by a letter from the former Prime Minister.
“In response, I made a clear directive in a footnote, stating ‘peruse, verify and settle.’ However, upon consulting with the then Prime Minister, who explicitly advised against payment to Paraka, I directed the Department Secretary, S Gibson, not to proceed with the payment,” he said.
“It is important to note that the four payments made to jailed lawyer Paul Paraka in the second half of 2012 occurred when the Deputy Secretary, Jacob Yafai, was acting in the absence of Secretary Gibson. It is purely coincidental that these transactions took place during that specific timeframe.
“I would like to emphasize that I have always acted in accordance with the instructions received from the relevant authorities. Furthermore, I recall a specific incident where I was in a car with MRDC A Mano and Journalist Daniel Korombao when the former Prime Minister called me, questioning why payments were being made to Paraka against his explicit directive. In response, I reiterated that I had followed the advice given by the Prime Minister and directed accordingly.
“I am committed to transparency and accountability, and I am fully cooperating with the authorities in their investigations. I trust that the truth will prevail, and my name will be cleared of any wrongdoing.”
