Former Minister Tiensten flees to Australia
Eoin Blackwell, AAP
Papua New Guinea’s former planning minister Paul Tiensten has fled to Australia after being served with a summons to answer fraud and corruption allegations.
Police in Kokopo, in East New Britain province, served Mr Tiensten with a summons on Tuesday to appear before a government taskforce and answer questions over the misappropriation of 10 million kina ($A4.4 million) in development funds in his electorate.
But the next day, Mr Tiensten flew to PNG’s capital Port Moresby and then to Brisbane after buying a ticket at the airport, said Sam Koim, chairman of the corruption task force.
Mr Tiensten has since disappeared.
“It is not known where he is at the moment,” Mr Koim told AAP on Thursday.
“He bought a ticket at the airport, bought a ticket to Moresby and then all the way to Australia … he disappeared.
“We thought he was a gentleman and a leader and as a gentleman and leader he would come (to the police).”
Mr Koim said PNG is working closely with Australian authorities to find Mr Tiensten.
As part of the Somare government, Mr Tiensten was a negotiator on the $16 billion Exxon Mobil-led liquefied natural gas project, currently expected to double the country’s gross domestic product over the next 30 years.
Mr Tiensten is no stranger to controversy.
In 2008, Singaporean businessman Wu Shih-tsa told a Taiwanese court six prominent PNG officials, including Mr Tiensten, received a portion of $US20 million ($A19 million) put up by Taiwan in a bid to strengthen diplomatic relations with PNG.
Mr Tiensten has admitted to meeting Taiwanese officials but strongly denied allegations of corruption.
It is those damn ministers like PT who tarnished the good name of the Chief and NA,the entire so called Kitchen Cabinet ministers got to be investigated including past and those that defected.
Sound a bit like the despots of some middleeast nations,who disappeared when the going got tough.
May be Sam Koim and his corruption task force should immediately alert authorities in Monaco. We might be seeing PNG’s Christopher Skase heading there. Monaco is a long way from Pomio and Palmalmal. Unfortunately for anyone in flight from the long arm of the law, there aren’t too many places left in the world where you can hide. Saddam Hussein thought he was “unfoundable” by descending under-ground. They still found him, dug him and brought him up. Gaddafi will be found. Tiensten is fleeing from himself, it’s like our own shadows in the sun that follows us wherever we go.
WE truly live, work and play in the Land of the Unexpected!
kareona
OOps! It’s not Monaco, I meant Marjoca. Anyways….
Rule of law is common and cornerstone of the PNG constitution. So call parliamenterians cannot abuse n run away from their selfish wrong doings. Please investigate where PT is and get him behind bars so that it can set a precedence for those selfish, self centered idiots who are miss using people’s fund.
Concern citizen.
Last I heard this guy was in the Cayman Isles.