Samoa probes Papua New Guinea minister's transactions

Property financing came from offshore company

 

By Savea Sano Malifa

 

APIA, Samoa (Samoa Observer, July 26, 2009) – The Central Bank of Samoa (CBS) has instigated an inquiry into the local real estate financial transactions involving the Papua New Guinea Minister of Forests, Belden Namah.

In confirming this on Friday, CBS Governor Leasi Papali’i T. Scanlan said his office has advised the Attorney General’s Office to look into launching an investigation into whether money laundering had been involved in the transactions.

"After all," Leasi said, "we have to protect Samoa’s integrity."

He told the Samoa Observer they made their decision following the receipt of the relevant reports from the bank through which the funds involved in the transactions had been channeled.

"Normally under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2007, all money remittances of over $30,000 should be reported to us by the banks," Leasi explained. "These remittances are listed in what is known as the banks’ Suspicious Transaction Report (STR), and if they are new clients we ask more questions. I can now confirm that from the STR reports the funds were not from individuals but were from a company offshore. We have now asked the local bank involved to go back to the people they’d received the funds from and find out if they were laundered funds or not. "The onus is on the bank to find out (the details.)"

Leasi said the CBS was undertaking its "due diligence" responsibilities and it expected all local banks to undertake theirs.

"If there is suspicion arising from any banking transaction," he said, "we advise the Attorney General’s Office to look further into (the matter). After all, we have to protect Samoa’s integrity."

On 15 July, the Samoa Observer reported that Mr Namah was involved in the purchases of certain real estate properties around Apia amounting to about 5 million tala [US$1.9 million]

He had apparently helped in the negotiations for the purchase of properties including:

• Chan Chui Co Ltd on Taufusi Road for more than 2 million tala
• A two-storey home at Papaloloa for 1.49 million tala
• A Vaitele property for 1.8 million tala.

According to the previous owner of the Papaloloa property Mrs Freda Andrews, Mr Namah came with his partner to her home. "She fell in love with the house and they bought it." She said when Mr Namah came to their home they knew nothing about him.

"We don’t know anything about him," she said. "The partner fell in love with the house and they bought it."

Although the buyers gave a "10 per cent deposit" her husband was "so persistent" that soon afterwards they were paid in full.

"We’ve got our money," she said, which they had since used to "renovate" another property they owned.

As for the cost of "more than $2 million" for Chan Chui Co Ltd, this was confirmed by Mr Namah’s lawyer in Samoa, Papali’i Tologata Siaki Tuala, during a phone interview.

But the owner of the Vaitele property, Mr Ray Bancroft, was not happy when he was asked for a comment then. He said he had been given a deposit of $200,000 and was promised the rest of the money would be paid by a certain time.

However when the Observer talked to him before the story was published, the balance had still not been paid. At that time, Mr Bancroft was not impressed, saying he had put his furniture in the sale out of trust.

"The furniture alone is worth $100, 000," he revealed. "If I’d known there was to be a problem, I would have put the house back on the market."

Mr Bancroft said he had made it clear to Mr Namah he wanted to sell the property, which was why he had allowed his furniture to be part of the sale.

Asked for a comment at that time, Papali’i said Mr Bancroft had nothing to worry about.

"(The deal) will be finalised as soon as possible," he said.

He also assured Mr Bancroft his client "is just waiting for all the funds to arrive."

Besides, he said the agreement allowed Mr Bancroft "to keep most of the $200, 00 deposit" if the deal fell through.

Later when the story about Mr Namah’s alleged transactions was published in the Samoa Observer, it was picked up by PNG’s The National newspaper which also published it. Mr Namah later told parliament that the reporters "should go back to school."

The National’s story reported that Mr Namah’s lawyer Papali’i threatened to sue the Samoa Observer over the report.

"Mr Namah’s association with these property investments has been with and through his local partner and as the contact for his business partner abroad."

Later on 16 July 2009, Papali’i sent a letter to Samoa Observer’s editor in chief threatening to sue the paper.

The letter also asked to "publish an immediate correction and apology to Mr Namah …"

That letter in full is in letters to the editor section with this newspaper’s response.

 

Samoa Observer: www.samoaobserver.ws/

Copyright © 2009 Samoa Observer. All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

An untitled poem

By MICHELLE

 

Not so long ago

We had it all;

Didn't we?

 

You carried my smile

You had my love

In the palm of your hand;

Our hearts were one.

 

In a rush of blood;

Like a stroke of a paintbrush

the colours of the rainbow

From brightness and vibrance of love

dwarted

To the pales of pain

Echos of despair

 

I now read between the lines

So much is said, without an utter.

Your eyes; look distant

Your body language,

Tone of your voice

Your hands are hard and cold

I breathe heavy, shunned and wounded.

 

I can't undo the damage caused

But I know for sure

I want you even though I betrayed you.

Do tell me, your heart is still mine

Soothe me with your tender touch

Make sense of my madness.

I am sure, I found out

You are the one I want.

 

 

If I could

I'd make it alright

And I'd never hurt you

By hurting you, the one I love

I tore down my sanctuary

I fell apart at the seam.

Apap wows them to Jiwaka land

Apap ‘talking’ to his master Palme Pinge

Like the storybook Long John Silver and his parrot Captain Flint…Palme Pinge and Apap

Apap spreads his wings as his sign of saying “hello” to visitors to his Wahgi Valley abode

In Robert Louis Stevenson's story Treasure Island, the one-legged pirate Long John Silver had a parrot which cried "Pieces of eight".
The parrot's name was Captain Flint.
Like Captain Flint, a 21-year-old white cockatoo named Apap (uncle) is a big hit with visitors to his home at Purigona base camp in the Wahgi Valley of the new Jiwaka province.
Apap happily walks around saying “hello” to everyone and flapping his wings as his sign of shaking hands.
According to Apap’s ‘parents’, agriculture officers Palme and Angela Pinge, the bird was part of a bride price payment in Nov 1988 and was given to them.
Apap has since become like a child to them and lives, eats and talks with the family at their picturesque countryside home in the great Wahgi Valley.
“He was part of a bride price payment from Gumine in the Simbu province,” Mr Pinge told me.
“He was given to us in Nov 1988.
“He’s been with us for 21 years now.”
During a meeting of coffee extension officers at his place, Apap happily walked around saying “hello”, flapping his wings and being the true host.
According to Wikipedia, the white cockatoo can live up to, and perhaps beyond, 80 years in age, meaning life has just begun for Apap at a time when the new Jiwaka province is about to be formed.

The best little coffee shop in Papua New Guinea

CIC officers Bob Kora (left) and Fabian Api enjoy premium Kongo coffee at Chuave, Simbu province

Shopkeeper Moses Mori works the espresso machine at the Kongo Coffee Shop

Highly quality coffee and other goods on sale at the least-expected place along the Highlands Highway

Evening at Chuave, Simbu province, on Wednesday, July 22.
It’s freezing cold after the descent of Daulo Pass bordering Eastern Highlands and Simbu provinces.
The driver, Coffee Industry Corporation extension services manager Fabian Api, suggests that we stop for a cup of coffee.
And it wasn’t the normal, cheap, instant coffee you can buy anywhere along the Highlands Highway but high quality coffee you can find in the best coffee shops in the world such as Starbucks.
An espresso machine offers you cappuccino and latte that would put major international hotels in Port Moresby to shame.
All served in high quality plastic cups a’la Starbucks.
Other products at this unique shop include high grade Kongo Coffee, mobile phones, top-ups, souvenir videos and cups, hard-boiled eggs and freshly-baked scones.
All this somewhere along the Highlands Highway, in the least-expected place.
Welcome to the Kongo Coffee Shop, Chuave.
Mr Api, CIC officer Bob Kora and I enjoy premium Kongo coffee and hot scones alfresco on this cool July evening.
“We opened in April last year,” shopkeeper Moses Mori tells me.
“We sell Elimbari, Karimui, Mt Wilhelm and Simbu brands of coffee.
“We have a lot of customers and business is very good.
“We have a lot of customers, including expatriates.
“We’re open 24 hours a day.
“A medium cup sells for K2 and a large cup sells for K3.
“There was a customer from Germany, who couldn’t believe the taste of our coffee.
“He said, ‘this is the best coffee in the world’.”
And I couldn’t agree more!

Poor infrastructure plagues Obura-Wonenara

Coffee Industry Corporation extension manager Fabian Api (left) talks with Obura-Wonenara coffee growers near Kassam Pass last Saturday

Obura-Wonenara coffee growers at Kassam last Saturday

The age-old problem of lack of infrastructure development in the Obura-Wonenara area of Eastern Highlands province continues to plague its coffee growers.
Local leaders, farmers and Coffee Industry Corporation extension officers raised this concern at Kassam in EHP last Saturday to discuss CIC’s new District by District Coffee Rehabilitation Programme.
Obura-Wonenara is one of the coffee troves of Papua New Guinea, however, much of this never gets to market and exported because of poor to nil infrastructure.
It is located north-west of Kainantu and shares political boundaries with Markham, Aseki and Menyamya areas of Morobe province.
Obura-Wonenara covers three local level governments: Tairora-Gadsup, Yelia and Lamari.
Of the three LLGs, Yelia and Lamari are inaccessible by road, being only reachable by air.
Their coffee is airfreighted by Missionary Aviation Fellowship, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Seventh Day Adventist Aviation and New Tribes Aviation, however, this only represents a drop in the ocean for Obura-Wonenara’s coffee production.
As a result, CIC’s new rehabilitation programme is only being focused on Tairora-Gadsup while Yelia and Lamari will have to wait to see their day in the sun.
But even the people of Tairora-Gadsup have problems, according to Anio Koi, a farmer from Abiara village.
“Our concern is that the government must back up our grower aspirations,” he said.
“We have major infrastructure problems such as roads and bridges.
“Coffee can’t come out to market.
“Coffee can stay up to one year or more before being brought to market.
“This root of the problem is no roads.”
Tairora-Gadsup LLG president Maria Seiya and CIC extension officer Anton Nigiramu concurred.
“One LLG is only accessible by air,” Mrs Seiya said.
“One LLG has problems with roads.
“One LLG is alright.”
Mr Nigiramu reported that the rehabilitation programme was picking up momentum despite being initially focused on Tairora-Gadsup.
“The major problem here is that people can’t access markets because of poor infrastructure.”
“They are only accessible by air.
“Their produce comes through MAF and other third-level airlines.”
There is, however, a silver lining to the dark cloud.
“Our Obura-Wonenara MP, John Boito, is trying to fix up the deteriorating infrastructure,” Mr Nigiramu said.
“Most coffee production comes from Marawaka.
“There is also a lot of production in Tairora-Gadsup.
“If we can penetrate Lamari and Yelia LLGs, our production will shoot up.
“We are linking up with district administration, division of primary industry staff, church groups and others in the area.”

Jiwaka province to be powered by coffee

A farmer shows a rehabilitated coffee tree in the Wahgi Valley of Western Highlands

Coffee Industry Corporation extension officers Joe Alu (right) and Fabian Api talk to contracted rehabilitation service providers in the Wahgi Valley

Coffee farmer John Etape from Tari in the Southern Highlands province digging a drain at his garden at Avi in the Wahgi Valley of Western Highlands province

Agriculture and in particular coffee is set to boom in the newly-created Jiwaka province in 2012.
All this, however, will be at the expense of the rest of Western Highlands as Jiwaka – and in particular the great Wahgi valley – single-handedly produces the bulk of Papua New Guinea coffee, tea and fresh vegetables.
Jiwaka – short for Jimi, Wahgi and Kambia - agriculture and coffee leaders made this clear during a meeting at Purigona base camp in the Wahgi Valley to discuss the Coffee Industry Corporation’s ground-breaking District by District Coffee Rehabilitation Programme.
The three areas – which currently have the three electorates of Anglimp-South Wahgi, North Wahgi and Jimi – together have arguably the most fertile and productive agricultural land in PNG.
Such has been the interest in the rehabilitation programme - akin to the coffee rust days of the Coffee Development Agency in the mid to late 1980s – with already 5,000 farmers signing up to join and hundreds more lining up.
Coffee veteran, former CIC board member, agriculture lecturer and senior CIC extension manager James Koimo – now spearheading coffee and agriculture development in Jiwaka – said the future of the new province looked very bright with a very strong agricultural base.
“People (in Jiwaka) have got to realise that they depend on coffee for their economic independence, nothing else,” he affirmed.
“The coffee rehabilitation programme is very good.
“The project is timely with the establishment of Jiwaka province.
“Jiwaka will boom.
“And it will happen.
“We want to see the owner of the coffee trees go into grower groups and own processing facilities, own export facilities.
“We will completely cut out the middlemen.
“Currently, the people are 50/50.
“The knowledge gap is still there.
“The approach that CIC is taking is very good.
“In about 11/2 years, we will see the fruits of our labour.
“We want to form an interim administration for the new Jiwaka province.
“Next week, people will come to my village Nondugl, to discuss this.
“We will work closely with out politicians.
“We must make this project a success for other provinces to follow.
“Look at the success of the cherry ban.
“The timing is very right for this new province.
“Talk with your councilors.
“Councillors can pass resolutions and hand them on to the MP.
“In 18 months, come back and see how the project is going.
“People must go back to the land because times are tough.
“About 75% of Western Highlands coffee is from Jiwaka.
“We have been talking about Jiwaka province since 1971.
“It took us 38 years to get this province.”
Anglimp –South Wahgi rural development officer and Ngeneka tribe leader Pino Palme, who has been recruited as a service provider by CIC to train farmers, concurred with Mr Koimo.
“There are no major industries in Jiwaka like other provinces,” he said.
“We entirely depend on coffee.
“Our backbone will be coffee.
“We want at lest 25% of all Jiwaka funding to be allocated to coffee so that we can reap the benefits come 2012.
“I believe this District by District Rehabilitation Programme will be a major project which will impact on the lives of our people.
“When we become a separate province, we will be already financially independent.
“I want all Jiwaka people to be involved in this project.
“I see that coffee has more power.
“Jiwaka leaders should pour more money into CIC to help the people.
“They are talking about vegetables, but where’s the depot?
“So we should focus on coffee.”

Simbu declares war on alcohol, drugs and gambling

A street of Kundiawa in the morning. It later in the day becomes filled with all manner of people including hombrew and drug users

‘Enough is enough!’...Fed-up Kundiawa-Gembogl leaders who have declared all out war on alcohol, drugs and gambling

Village elders in the Kundiawa-Gembogl area of Simbu province have declared war on alcohol, drugs and gambling.
This follows hot on the heels of Kundiawa-Gembogl’s zero-tolerance of these scourges of society in Simbu, the Highlands and all of Papua New Guinea.
Kundiawa-Gembogl is fast becoming a model for the rest of PNG with one of the best community policing systems in the country which has seen a drastic drop in law and order problems in the Simbu capital.
The village elders made their individual declarations at a meeting with Coffee Industry Corporation officers in Kundiawa last Friday to introduce them to introduce them to CIC’s revolutionary new District by District Coffee Rehabilitation Programme.
CIC officer Brian Kuglame, who led discussions at the meeting, stressed that PNG had to do way with negative impediments such as alcohol (particularly homebrew), marijuana and gambling (particularly card) if it was to move forward.
The great Highlands coffee industry has suffered tremendously because of alcohol, drugs and gambling, as it is those addicted to these who steal cherries and sell to feed their habits.
Quality time which could be productively spent in the coffee garden is instead wasted on drinking, smoking drugs and playing cards.
Sale of coffee cherries has since been outlawed in PNG with a hefty fine of K1, 000 or 18 months jail for those who break the law.
“We have to go back and work the land,” Mr Kuglame asserted.
Mandumi village councilor John Nuai told of the difficulties he faced in encouraging young people in his ward to stop drinking homebrew, using marijuana and gambling.
“I try my best to discourage them from these bad habits but it is very hard to convince our young people,” he said.
“One of those in my area who is involved in production of steam (homebrew) is the deputy headmaster of a nearby school, and I find it very hard to talk with him.
“Dances are also a major cause of social problems and contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS.”
Mount Wilhelm village elder Philip Kondaygl, 71, said after the meeting that Simbu had suffered greatly because of alcohol, drugs and gambling.
“Playing cards is now a major problem in Simbu and is a waste of time,” he said.
“This time could be better spent in the coffee garden.
“Home brew and marijuana must also be stopped.
“We must teach our young people to go back to the land and there will be change.”
The elders agreed to walk throughout Kundiawa-Gembogl to discourage young people from bad habits and encourage them into productive activities such as CIC’s new coffee rehabilitation programme.