NOT all Papua New Guineans are corrupt and that PNG is not a corruption riddled country as has been portrayed by international media, says State Enterprises Minister William Duma.
Minister Duma made the remarks after the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on September 21, 2021 entered a verdict and judgement in favour of him against the major Australian newspaper, the Australian Financial Review, in defamation proceedings commenced in Australia in May, 2020.
“This is the first time for a Papua New Guinean to take a major Australian newspaper to Court especially in the Australian Federal Court for defamation and false allegations.
“It demonstrates that not all Papua New Guineans are corrupt and that PNG is not a corruption riddled country as has been portrayed by international media,” Minister Duma who is also the Hagen MP said.
Minister Duma commenced defamation proceedings at the Federal Court of Australia on 7 May, 2020 as a result of false and defamatory articles published in the Australian Financial Review newspaper by journalists Angus Grigg and Jemima Whyte on 14 April 2020 regarding a residential property in Brisbane owned by an Australian merchant banker Darrell Seeto.
On 14 April 2020, the Australian Financial Review published an article entitled “Brisbane house link to Horizon PNG probe” and “Brisbane house linked to PNG probe”, in which it was alleged that an Australian merchant banker Darrell Seeto conspired with Minister Duma to launder money by purchasing AUD$1.5 million house in Brisbane from the proceeds of a bribe.
It was also alleged that Westpac Banking Corporation, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Macquarie Banking Group lodged Suspicious Matter Reports with Austrac in connection with banking transactions
Despite publishing the defamatory articles in the Australian media, the Australian Financial Review and its journalists, Angus Grigg and Jemima Whyte, failed to produce any evidence before the Federal Court establishing that the house owned by Darrell Seeto in Brisbane was purchased from proceeds of money laundering. The AFR also failed to produce evidence of suspicious matter reports against either Darrell Seeto or Minister Duma.
During the trial, it also became clear that the Australian Federal Police closed their files as there was no evidence against either Darrell Seeto or Minister Duma.
The Federal Court of Australia therefore ordered judgement in favour of Minister Duma against the Australian Financial Review and its journalists after 1 year 4 months since Minister Duma commenced legal proceedings, for an undisclosed sum in compensation, and also ordered the Australian Financial Review to pay Minister Duma’s costs in the sum of AUD$265,901.00.
One of the journalists who wrote the defamatory articles, Angus Grigg is no longer employed by the Australian Financial Review, having left the newspaper company after giving evidence as a witness and as a defendant himself and on behalf of his employer.
