Court-ousted Kandep MP, Don Polye is now at the Boroko police cells after being arrested few minutes ago. This is the first arrest carried out since the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) The allegations relates to official corruption and misappropriation of funds when Polye was the Minister for Higher Education and Sports. His wife was earlier arrested on similar allegations. Newslink is reliably told that Polye’s lawyer Edward Sasingian of Sasingian Lawyers, had applied for bail at the Waigani District Court before a magistrate and Polye is expected to be released soon. The bail money is K50,000. More updates to follow.
Paul Paraka, once a prominent lawyer and a powerful figure who owned the biggest law firm in the country that recruited, groomed and build many lawyers, is now fighting a lone battle.
“No lawyers are willing to assist me with my cases,” Paraka told a judge at the Waigani Supreme Court on Tuesday this week as he battles his conviction and 20-years imprisonment for misappropriating of over K162 million in public funds.
His voice subdued but steady, Mr Paraka pleaded to the single Supreme Court judge, Justice David Cannings, to hear him out and grant him his application requesting for an extension of time to file an application for leave for a Slip Rule application.
For Paraka, who once helped shape the lawyering profession by recruiting bulk of new law graduates every year, the courtroom has now become a place he walks into alone. He told the court that for more than a year he had pleaded for help from the Office of the Public Solicitor and approached private lawyers, only to be turned away each time.
“My numerous requests to the Office of the Public Solicitor and even private lawyers were all unsuccessful,” he said, explaining why he was seeking an extension of time to file an application for leave to make a Slip Rule application.
Seated as he made his submissions, Paraka painted a picture of a man battling not only the justice system but his own declining health. He recalled how he filed his initial application within the required 21-day period in November 2024, and how, almost immediately afterwards, his world collapsed.
He became critically ill and was hospitalised on November 1, 2024. Doctors later diagnosed him with severe triple-vessel coronary artery disease. The emotional strain following the dismissal of his appeal, he said, “crushed” him and accelerated the deterioration of his health.
Medical records tendered in court showed that Paraka had undergone multiple invasive angiogram procedures and currently suffers seven arterial blockages. Specialists, he said, are recommending urgent overseas surgery.
“Your Honour, that is why I couldn’t file and serve my application for extension on time,” he told the court.
With no legal assistance while in custody, Paraka said he prepared his Slip Rule arguments alone by drafting 37 grounds of alleged judicial “slips” from his prison cell.
But Acting Public Prosecutor Helen Roalakona opposed the application, arguing that although Paraka filed on time, he failed to serve it within the mandatory 21-day period. She said the grounds raised were not slips at all, but attempts to revisit arguments already rejected by the National Court.
Justice Cannings agreed that Paraka had managed to file other proceedings and should not be treated differently. However, because the application itself was filed within time, the court still had jurisdiction to grant an extension.
Justice Cannings did grant Paraka his applicationg, allowing Paraka more time for him to file his application for leave for a Slip Rule application in the Supreme Court.
Justice Cannings set the matter for directions hearing next Monday.
The court will then determine whether a single Supreme Court judge or a full bench will hear the Slip Rule application. A tentative hearing date has been set for Tuesday, 16 December 2025, at 1:30pm.
After a long delay, the full hearing of the substantive appeal over the Madang Provincial seat will proceed in the Supreme Court at Waigani on November 27, 2025.
The appeal is pursued by former Madang Governor Sir Peter Charles Yama, seeking to overturn a National Court decision that dismissed his election petition challenging the results of the 2022 national election for the Madang Provincial seat. The incumbent Ramsey Pariwa is named as first respondent, with the Electoral Commission as second respondent.
Yama initially filed the election petition after the 2022 polls, alleging improper conduct and undue influences during the counting that swung votes to Pariwa.
However, the National Court dismissed Sir Peter’s petition on October 23, 2023, on the basis that Yama’s key witness’s evidence was inconsistent and lacked necessary corroboration.
The court found that Sir Peter’s key witness gave evidences that were not supported by other witnesses and that the evidences were not credible.
This prompted Sir Peter to further appeal the dismissal in the Supreme Court, seeking leave to review the National Court’s decision.
Following the grant of leave, the incumbent Mr Pariwa filed a number of applications to dismissed the review application.
Recently, a Supreme Court bench allowed Sir Peter to press his review to a substantive hearing by dismissing objections from Pariwa that sought to halt the progress of the petition and granting Sir Peter the opportunity to have the case heard by a full bench.
In the substantive hearing, the Supreme Court is expected to determine a grey area of law relating to arguments on whether corroboration was required in an election petition trial.
Sir Peter contents that the trial judge had erred in fact and law when his (Sir Peter’s) witness in chief gave direct evidences during the trial and those evidences were not refuted or countered by Pariwa’s witnesses.
He also argues that corroboration was not required in an election petition case as it was a provision of its own according to law, and that the trial judge had erred in finding otherwise.
If the Supreme Court rule in favor of Sir Peter, this would set a new precedent for future election petition cases.
Southern Highlands political leader Peter Nupiri has congratulated all newly elected councillors across the province, praising electoral officials and communities for steering the Local Level Government (LLG) elections to a successful conclusion despite early challenges.
In a statement released on 21 November 2025, Mr Nupiri said the electoral process had “now formally concluded, as evidenced by the return of the writs today.” He commended the work of Election Manageress Grace Wong, her team of Assistant Returning Officers, polling officials and ward leaders, saying their “time, professionalism, and dedication” ensured a generally smooth election under demanding circumstances.
However, Mr Nupiri raised serious concerns about ongoing voter roll inflation, particularly in Nipa-Kutubu, Mendi and Imbongu. He said some hiccups experienced during polling stemmed from “common roll-inflation issues identified in the Nipa-Kutubu electorate,” but noted these were expected to be fixed during roll updates before the 2027 national elections.
Mr Nupiri outlined the province’s official voter numbers to emphasise the scale of the problem. “The official registered voter roll for Southern Highlands Province in the 2022 National Elections stood at 508,486 voters,” he said. Based on normal population trends, the roll for 2027 should sit “at approximately 530,000.”
He warned that “any figure significantly above this threshold must be treated as a serious irregularity and a potential attempt by individuals with vested interests to manipulate and defraud the electoral process.”
He described the inflation of voter rolls as a recurring and dangerous practice in parts of the province. “The insertion of fictitious names for political advantage is illegal and undermines the democratic rights of our people,” he stressed. He appealed to those responsible to “refrain immediately from such unlawful practices and to allow for a genuine, transparent, and lawful voter registration process to take place.”
Mr Nupiri also addressed those preparing to contest the presidency of more than 25 LLGs across Southern Highlands Province, wishing them well and declaring that he would not take sides. “On this occasion, I have chosen to remain strictly neutral, even though some of those contesting — including sitting presidents — are close friends and long-standing supporters,” he said. “It is only fair and proper that all candidates be given the opportunity to contest freely and without any perception of bias or undue influence.”
He concluded by calling on all stakeholders, candidates, communities and authorities to work together to promote “a peaceful, fair and transparent democratic process” as the province heads toward the 2027 National General Elections.
The court ordered mediation into the disputes relating to the East New Britain Palm Oil, has been successfully completed.
An agreement was reached for the Oil Palm giant to pay a massive K30 million compensation to the landowners as well as for Oil Palm purchase-price to be lifted to the standard world price.
While the court is yet to fully endorse the outcome, this is a good news for all oil palm landowners of East New Britain.
Minister for International Trade and Investment Richard Maru, who also took part in the mediation as a plaintiff and official negotiator on behalf of the State through the Ministry, was instrumental in getting the price fixed.
Minister Maru was assisted by Sasingian Lawyers while other parties were assisted by other law firms including Ashurst Lawyers, Kihanges Lawyers and others.
The mediation was headed by accredited mediator and retired judge, Les Gavara-Nanu.
All the parties participated with their lawyers that saw the outcome of the successful mediation with K30 million compensation to be paid.
Minister Maru prior to the mediation, has said that the mediation came about as a result of investigations conducted by the government.
“This mediation is a direct result of an investigation conducted by the National Government with the support of the East New Britain Provincial Government into the complains contained in a petition presented to me by the landowners and oil palm farmers of East New Britain Province. They complained of gross under-pricing of their FBB sales, outstanding of over K38 million continued losses of income over 10 years, and illegal acquisition of their customary land by the company.”
“Settling of these issues during the mediation this week will be a landmark decision which will shape the future of the palm oil industry in Papua New Guinea going forward. I am very happy that the courts have chosen the Mediation Dispute Settlement System to resolve this dispute permanently. I can only pray for common sense and enough good will to be shown by all Parties to seek settlement by this week,” Mr Maru added.
This is a welcoming news for the oil palm landowners of East New Britain.
At Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae, a father lies quietly on his bed, clinging to life with nothing but a drip keeping him going. His name is Simion Alo Sawalu, and for nearly five long weeks, he has been fighting an illness without the very thing a hospital is meant to provide—medicine.
Simion, from Siwi-Utame in the Ialibu-Pangia District of Southern Highlands, was rushed to Angau when his condition worsened. His family believed that once he reached a major referral hospital, help would finally come. Instead, they were met with a painful truth many Papua New Guineans now know too well: there is simply no medicine.
Doctors ran tests. They confirmed what was wrong. But when it came time to treat him, they could only say the words no patient should ever hear; “You have to buy your own medicine. We don’t have any here.”
Since then, Simion’s family has been running back and forth to private clinics in Lae, scraping together money to purchase basic drugs the hospital should have supplied. Not one dose has been provided by the public ward. Not even one.
If this is the reality in Angau Memorial Hospital, one of the country’s biggest, what hope is there for the tiny aid posts tucked deep in the mountains? What about rural health centres where a single nurse serves thousands and medicine shelves have been empty for months? Parents in remote villages walk for hours carrying sick children, only to be told to return home empty-handed.
The situation is not just a shortage; it is a national emergency quietly stealing lives. Hospitals were meant to be places of healing, yet for many families like Simion’s, they have become waiting rooms for despair.
As drug theft, procurement failures and chronic supply issues continue, ordinary Papua New Guineans are left asking: How many more must suffer before the system is fixed?
Former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has launched a blistering attack on the Marape Government, accusing it of plunging the country deeper into debt while hospitals across Papua New Guinea continue to run out of essential medicines.
O’Neill said the government had taken on “another K1 billion in new loans” only weeks after withdrawing more than K1 billion in dividends from Kumul Minerals, pushing total fresh financing to K2 billion within a matter of weeks.
“The latest borrowings include K600 million for the politically convenient Connect PNG program and K400 million from the Asian Development Bank for general budget support,”
“That’s K2 billion raised in just a couple of weeks—but still no medicines,” he said.
The former PM called the situation a national disgrace, saying the government was prioritising politically driven programs and general spending over lifesaving medical supplies.
His attack follows Prime Minister James Marape’s remarks last Friday, where he told health workers to “do more with less”, conceding that the government is facing a serious cash shortage and that funds cannot yet be released to purchase critical drugs.
Marape also urged doctors and nurses to stop complaining about lack of funding, instead urging them to “focus on patient outcomes” and show patriotism through their work.
“Real patriotism is shown when professionals work for the good of the country, not just for pay checks,” Marape said. “Health workers must be efficient and resourceful in how they use what is available.”
O’Neill said the Prime Minister’s comments were insensitive and contradictory.
“Three weeks ago he was blaming Governors and Provincial Health Authorities, saying the medicine budget had already been spent. Now he is blaming doctors and nurses while admitting there is no money left to buy medicines. Which one is it?” O’Neill asked.
He said the public was exhausted by repeated shortages of antibiotics, painkillers and basic medical consumables, describing the current crisis as one created by government negligence.
“The public is frustrated by these chronic shortages affecting hospitals nationwide. People are suffering and dying unnecessarily because this government has failed to purchase essential drugs. That is the painful reality,” O’Neill said.
He said hospitals were meant to be places of healing, but doctors and nurses could not save lives when they lacked the most basic tools.
“Our health workers are experts in care, but how can patients recover when essential medicines are unavailable?” he asked.
O’Neill questioned why the government was able to find billions for other programs while failing to restock the country’s drug supply.
“People want answers on why billions of kina continue to be committed elsewhere while essential drugs remain out of stock. It is simply not acceptable for Papua New Guineans to be left without medicines while another K2 billion flows into what many see as a Waigani slush fund.” O’Neill said.
He called for an immediate halt to the Connect PNG program, which he labelled “corrupt”, and demanded that funds be redirected to emergency medical supplies.
“If the money is not going to relieve our people’s suffering, then where is it going? Just stop the corrupt Connect PNG and buy medicines,” O’Neill added. The government has not yet responded to O’Neill’s latest criticism.
The government has not yet responded to O’Neill’s latest criticism.
Community leaders from some wards within the Anglimp and Kuna Komun Local Level Governments (LLGs) of Jiwaka Province are calling on the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC) to proceed with the conduct of their delayed elections.
This appeal follows an extension for elections for some LLGs, sought by the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs Soroi Eoe.
In their recent appeal, Councilors and community representatives Peter Saina, Kerewa Mekenti, and Joe Win emphasize the critical importance of upholding citizens’ constitutional rights to participate in democratic processes without further delays.
Their appeal comes after Minister Soroi Eoe’s letter, which requested an extension of the election period for certain LLGs due to exceptional circumstances.
The Minister had cited Sections 277(2)(b) and 288(2) of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-level Governments, which allow PNGEC to grant extensions under specific conditions.
Minister Eoe acknowledged that while many LLGs across the country have successfully conducted their elections, some experienced delays caused by various issues and required additional time to complete the process.
In his letter the minister expected all elections to be completed successfully and requested a comprehensive status report by November 21, 2025.
Following this letter, community leaders Peter Saina, Kerewa Mekenti Joe Win and others have urged PNGEC and Jiwaka’s election officials to proceed with the elections without further delay.
They clarified that the initial postponements were due to confusion surrounding the creation of new wards.
However, they confirmed that the new wards for Anglim and Kuna Komun LLGs were created through proper legal procedures, with all required processes followed and no court orders prevented voting to proceed.
The creation of the new LLGs—Anglimp, Kuna Komun, and Kambia—was approved by the Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs Office to facilitate the upcoming split of Anglim South Waghi into two separate electorates in 2027.
While elections for Kambia LLG have already progressed with declarations made, the elections for Anglimp and Kuna Komun remain pending.
The PNGEC had suspended elections for Anglimp and Kuna Komun, citing issues including protests by different factions against the creation of new wards and other security issues.
The PNG Electoral Commissioner is expected to make a final decision on the elections for the two LLGs soon.
Frederick Kebai, President PNG Nurses Association.
Papua New Guinea is lagging far behind its Pacific neighbours in creating overseas employment opportunities under regional labour mobility programs, says the President of the Papua New Guinea Nurses Association (PNGNA), Frederick Kebai.
Returning fresh from attending the Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Conference in Solomon Islands this week, Mr Kebai said he was deeply concerned that the PNG Government has not been proactive in facilitating opportunities for its citizens to work abroad under schemes such as the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program and New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
“What I’ve learned from this conference is that Papua New Guinea is less concentrated in this area,” Mr. Kebai said.
“Our government is not proactive in mobilizing seasonal workers to go to New Zealand or Australia, while other Pacific Islanders are very active and have large numbers of their citizens already working overseas.”
He highlighted that countries such as Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Solomon Islands have made significant progress, sending thousands of workers to farms, hospitality, and other industries in Australia and New Zealand.
“PNG has the largest population in the Pacific—around 12 million people—and one of the highest unemployment rates,” Mr Kebai stressed.
“Labour migration would help our people, both skilled and unskilled, find jobs overseas while also boosting our struggling economy through remittances.”
Mr Kebai said the conference discussions revealed that the lack of coordination between key PNG state agencies and workers’ unions is a major barrier to progress.
“There is no proper collaboration between the Department of Labour, Finance and Treasury, and unions,” he said.
“We need a strong tripartite approach so we can move forward together.”
He further pointed out that costly administrative requirements such as obtaining police clearances, passports, and visas are deterring many potential seasonal workers from applying.
“Meeting the criteria to be deployed is a big hurdle for our citizens,” Mr. Kebai said.
“The government should set aside funds to assist seasonal workers meet these costs. They could later repay the expenses once they are employed overseas.”
Mr Kebai said Papua New Guinea must urgently learn from its Pacific neighbours and establish a more structured labour mobility program.
“If our government takes this seriously, more Papua New Guineans can be employed overseas, gain valuable skills, and contribute to our economy. It’s time we stop watching from the sidelines.”
The Juha PDL 9 landowners from Hela province fronting up near the Department of Petroleum and Energy office in Port Moresby on Friday to air their grievances.
Landowners of the Juha Petroleum Development Licence (PDL) 9 in Hela Province have opposed the recent Ministerial Determination on benefit-sharing arrangements.
The landowners have formally lodged an objection with the Department of Petroleum and Energy (DPE) and filed court proceedings challenging the recent Ministerial Determination on the percentage identified in the benefit-sharing arrangements.
The Juha PDL 9 landowners led by Timothy Tambu, James Hinupi, and Peter Andama, representing the Sinali region of Juha, say the determination unfairly allocates project benefits to Western Province interests. Their objection is supported by the Juha Hela faction and their paramount chief, Tami Hinarogo.
The group has also filed court proceedings challenging the Ministerial Determination and the gazettal notices, alleging that “the process was hijacked” and the outcome “unfair and unlawful.”
Mr Tambu, one of the principal landowners, said the determination “completely disregards the legitimate ownership of the Juha resource area under Hela Province.”
“We are the legitimate resource owners of the Juha PDL 9 project impact area within the Topi and Umimi council wards of the Koroba LLG in Hela. There is no customary claim from any Western Province group over this land,” Tambu said.
The landowners raised three key grounds in their objection letter.
First, they argue that the allocation of Juha PDL 9 benefits to Western Province is unlawful and inconsistent with the project’s geographic and customary boundaries.
Second, they accuse DPE of publishing “false beneficiary allocations,” claiming that 80 percent of the benefits were wrongly diverted to Western Province.
Mr Hinupi said there were also some misleading statements by a Chief John Wabi Sala.
“We reject the false and misleading claims made by Chief John Wabi Sala. These statements are incorrect and have created confusion. Juha PDL 9 lies entirely within the Sinali tribal land of Hela Province.”
Thirdly, the group cited compromised coordination within the DPE process. They allege that certain officers “accepted inducements” and colluded with Western Province interests, resulting in “misrepresentation of landownership and unjust benefit allocation.”
Peter Andama, the Chairman of Juha PDL 9, said the situation reflects “a serious breakdown in transparency.”
“The Department has failed to verify land titles, consult the rightful landowners, or acknowledge our legitimate claims. The gazette was rushed and politically influenced,” Andama said.
Paramount Chief Tami Hinarogo added his support, saying the Hela Juha faction stands united behind the Sinali landowners’ objection.
“We are calling on the Department of Petroleum and Energy to retract the gazette and begin genuine dialogue with the real landowners for the good of all impacted communities,” he said.
The statement follows the publication of the Ministerial Determination by the Minister for Petroleum and Energy recently.
