16th May 2014 OPPOSITION: RESPONSE TO PRESS STATEMENT BY LR GROUP LTD. This morning the Opposition held a Press Conference in response to Statement released to the papers yesterday (15th May, 2014) by Israeli Company, LR Group Ltd. Members sitting in at the Press Conference include Leader of the Opposition also Member for Vanimo Green, Hon. Belden Norman Namah, Deputy Leader of the Opposition also Member for Bulolo, Hon. Sam Basil, Shadow Mining Minister and MP for Huon Gulf, Hon. Ross Seymour, and Madang Regional, Hon. Jim Kas. The Opposition Leader expressed his disappointment with the Papers, The National and The Post Courier, for not running a Paid Advert from the Opposition last week, despite payment being received by the Papers; at the ‘11th ’hour the plug was pulled and the Press Statement was not run. Yet Post Courier saw fit to run the Statement by LR Group Ltd. Mr Namah remarked that the papers must understand that when an Advert is paid for, legal liability lies with the party making payment and issuing the statement. ‘’Where is the fairness in Print Media’’, he said. LR Group is trying to justify the K50 million payments which in itself was a unilateral decision carried out by the Prime Minister through his directive to the Acting Treasury Secretary, Mr Dairi Vele. There is however no link between the K50 million payment to LR Group Ltd in December, 2013 and the K94 million submission (61/2014) to NEC for purchase of 2x26.2mw generators from Israel General Electric Corp, with whom the Independent State of Papua New Guinea share a MOU, unlike LR Group Ltd. The K50 million purported purchase of 2x15mw generators from LR Group Ltd is a deal between LR Group Ltd, State Owned Enterprises Minister, Hon. Ben Micah and the Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill. Mr. Namah also alleged that LR Group Ltd do not have a registered office in Israel, the office was set up and registered here in the country. Therefore he refused to adhere to the invitation extended by LR Group Ltd to visit the Hydroponics farm up at Nine Mile as he alluded to the allegation that it was set up using money belonging to the People of Papua New Guinea, especially the Mine affected areas under PNGSDP, this is in reference to the alleged loan of K28 million taken out by LR Group Ltd from PNGSDP to set up the farm. Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Sam Basil, stated that the K50 million proposal forwarded by LR Group Ltd for the purported purchase of 2x15mw generators, is allegedly taken from Israel General Electric Corp Ltd proposal to PNG Power Ltd (PPL). PPL currently manage and maintain 18 turbines with Diesel generators. Mr Basil also divulged to the media personnel present that there is the risk of the PPL being sold off using the pretext of the SOE being bankrupt due to an outstanding bill of K40million being owed to PPL by other SOE’s. ‘’As Nationalists we cannot allow this to happen’’. The initial transfer to LR Group Ltd in Dec 2013 is K50 million, the proposal submitted for NEC decision in February, 2014 for the supposedly same deal but this time with Israel General Electric is K94 million. However, there is now a new submission for PNG Power PNG Ltd to pay further K8 million to LR Group being for spare parts for the generators bringing the total to K152 million, as opposed to the proposed K94 million submitted to NEC by the PM in February 2014.
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 05:27:34 +0000
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