AN angry Governor Rt Hon Chief Sir Julius Chan, is calling on Prime Minister James Marape to immediately sack Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey for cutting K40 million from his 2024 Budget saying this is outright sabotage and devious attempt to control my government and choke the people of New Ireland.
Sir Julius in backing Deputy Governor Sammy Missen’s call recently said: “Stuckey Must Explain K40million Budget Cut to New Ireland.”
He said the Provincial Assembly was shocked to see the K40 million cut and expressed grave disappointment and distrust at Stuckey and unanimously petitioned me as Chairman of the Assembly on 20th December 2023 to refer him for non-attendance to the assembly and non-reporting of K50 million Lihir royalties under him since 2021.
“Members of the Assembly expressed disgust that New Ireland holds the top post as Treasurer yet got the worst deal under Ling-Stuckey. The K40 million cut in the 2024 New Ireland budget is a deliberate attempt by Ian Ling-Stuckey to sabotage my provincial government,” Chan said.
“He has already stolen more than K50 million in provincial government royalty money. Where has all these money gone?” He has not reported these to the provincial government as required under section eight of the DDA Act.
His non-cooperation and absence from attending the Provincial Assembly meetings since being elected in 2022 for seven consecutive sittings is a violation of section 10 of the Organic law of Provincial and Local Level Government,” Sir Julies said.
He said they have raised this and other matters to the relevant authorities and was long overdue. Sir Julies calls on the Ombudsman Commission, ICAC and Police to act on these matters that have been sitting idle for many years and said it was frustrating to see that justice is being denied to the people of New Ireland.
The reports include the unaccounted K64 million Lihir royalties under his leadership as Governor from 2002-2007 uncovered in the audit report by RAMS Business Consultant in 2008, the K100 million Lihir royalties diverted to Ian Ling-Stuckey and the Namatanai MP, Walter Schnaubelt in a NEC decision since 2021, and Stuckey’s demeaning brand name for New Irelanders as “Kakaruk”.
Governor Sir Julius said: “There is unanimous support from the assembly to remove Ling-Stuckey from the provincial assembly because he does not represent Kavieng District in the assembly.
“He is the most criticized and controversial treasurer in the history of the country. Ling-Stuckey must go, in order to restore confidence of the people of New Ireland,” Sir Julies said.
