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ABC News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
PNG anti-corruption commissioners suspended after accusing each other of offences
Two Australians and a New Zealander at the helm of Papua New Guinea's first anti-corruption watchdog have been quietly suspended, with all three accusing each other of criminal offences. The decision to suspend commissioners Andrew Forbes, Daniel Baulch and Graham Gill was gazetted on June 20 but has not been publicly announced. The chief commissioner, Mr Forbes, announced the suspensions at a staff meeting last week, while deputies Mr Baulch and Mr Gill were out of the country. The development has been labelled a "major blow" to PNG's fledgling Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which has only made one arrest and no prosecutions since it began operations in 2023. It follows a drawn-out feud between the three commissioners, which rendered the organisation "chaotic" and "dysfunctional" according to inside sources. Tensions reached fever pitch last month when Mr Forbes referred his deputies to police over alleged financial misconduct, prompting Mr Gill and Mr Baulch to leave the country. The deputies told the ABC they would "strongly defend the allegations" and said they believed they had been "subjected to retaliatory behaviour". Last year, Mr Baulch and Mr Gill accused Mr Forbes of suspected corruption and abuse of power, alleging in a letter to the prime minister that he secretly manipulated ICAC legislation to give himself exclusive power over key agency functions. A warrant for Mr Forbes's arrest was issued in November, but he obtained a court injunction to suspend the probe. When contacted by the ABC, Mr Forbes declined to comment. Mr Baulch and Mr Gill have also declined to comment on the suspensions; however, the ABC understands they are considering legal options. Maholopa Laveil, an economics lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea, said the developments were troubling. "It is shocking and disappointing that all three commissioners have been suspended, even more so given that two are from Australia and one from New Zealand," Mr Laveil said. "There would be similar shock and disappointment … had they been Papua New Guinean … but even larger disappointment because they're from Australia and NZ." Mr Forbes is a lawyer from Brisbane who was previously a partner at the commercial law firm Turks Legal and has no apparent prior experience in anti-corruption work. Mr Baulch is a former detective with Victoria Police in Australia and Mr Gill was a senior executive in charge of evaluation, intelligence and corporate affairs at the Serious Fraud Office in New Zealand. They were selected by a group — chaired by Prime Minister James Marape with representatives from the opposition, the judiciary and churches — called the Appointments Committee. Questions have been raised about the lack of Papua New Guinean representation among ICAC commissioners. But lawyer and MP Kerenga Kua, who helped set up PNG's ICAC, defended the decision. "I thought it was good to have people who are not connected to the people of this country so they can do a totally impartial job," he said. Mr Kua believed the problems came down to a clash of individual personalities. Two weeks ago, the Appointments Committee resolved to appoint PNG nationals Mr Thomas Eluh, Justice Ellenas Batari and Justice Don Sawong as acting commissioners. Do you know more about this story? Contact Mr Eluh was ICAC's interim chairman before the commission was appointed and Justice Batari and Justice Sawong have served as Supreme Court judges. But the acting commissioners have not yet taken up their positions, leaving the organisation in a leadership limbo. Kerenga Kua said he was confident the acting commissioners were equipped for the job. But there are concerns the leadership struggles within ICAC have set the organisation back — with a number of senior staff having resigned over the tensions. Dr Grant Walton, a Pacific governance and anti-corruption expert at the Australian National University, said the suspension of the commissioners was a "major blow". "This is going to set that institution back even further and undermine the hopes that many people had that the PNG government was going to be serious in its response to corruption in the country," he said. Maholopa Laveil said the ICAC had failed to meet people's expectations of prosecuting high-level corruption in PNG — estimated to cost the country over a billion dollars every year. Since being established, the agency has only made one arrest, although the ABC understands some high-level officials were being investigated. Mr Laveil said it was also a blow to Australia and other partners' efforts to support governance reforms in PNG. Strengthening PNG's ICAC is a key pillar of an IMF economic reform program that underpins more than a billion dollars in budget support that Australia has given PNG since 2020. Others have complained about the Appointments Committee's failure to deal with the issues swiftly, as more than a year has passed since it received an initial complaint against Mr Forbes. A second complaint against Mr Baulch was referred to the committee in August last year by Mr Forbes. One ICAC insider told the ABC that the slow response allowed issues to fester within the organisation. Committee member Cardinal John Ribat said besides the initial meeting to appoint the original commissioners in 2023, he had not been invited to a single meeting until a couple of weeks ago. Cardinal Ribat said he was not involved in selecting the investigations committee that probed allegations against at least two of the commissioners last year. He said he was also concerned that the inclusion of the prime minister and opposition leader compromised the committee's independence. The ABC has contacted the prime minister and the opposition leader for a response.
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Chaos at Australian-led Papua New Guinea anti-corruption commission
Papua New Guinea's anti-corruption body is in turmoil, sparked by infighting and allegations between the Australian and New Zealand bosses. The two Australian and one New Zealand commissioners have made criminal allegations against each other as PNG's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) looks set to crumble. Established in 2023, PNG's ICAC estimates the country loses up to $1.5bn every year to corruption. Reports from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade report say corruption is endemic in PNG. Brisbane commercial lawyer Andrew Forbes is the ICAC commissioner. Former Victorian detective Daniel Baulch is a deputy commissioner, as is former New Zealand Serious Fraud Office executive Graham Gill. In September last year, a senior PNG ICAC official made a confidential affidavit, alleging the commissioner, Mr Forbes, had manipulated proposed laws to give himself the power to be the only person allowed to conduct compulsory questioning hearings in suspected corruption cases, The Age reported. 'We reasonably suspect that the commissioner has engaged in a course of corrupt conduct,' deputies Mr Gill and Mr Baulch wrote in a letter last year. An arrest warrant was issued for Mr Forbes; however, he obtained a court injunction against the warrant. Now, Mr Forbes has reported his deputies to police for alleged financial misconduct, related to travel and accommodation. They told the ABC that they had been 'subjected to retaliatory behaviour' and would 'strongly defend the allegations'. The ABC reports the deputies have both left PNG, and ICAC's expat staff – including many Australians – are likely to resign. The turmoil comes as PNG tries to avoid highly restrictive international money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures that would severely isolate the Oceanic nation, particularly families of Papuans living overseas who receive money from their expatriate relatives. 'When you look at the context of corruption in PNG, it is fair to say that 20 per cent of government spending is lost through corruption, waste or error in any given year,' Mr Gill said in July.
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Australian and NZ anti-corruption bosses embroiled in 'chaos' at ICAC PNG
By Papua New Guinea correspondent Marian Faa , ABC The feud between (from left) Graham Gill, Andrew Forbes and Daniel Baulch has left the anti-corruption organisation "dysfunctional". Photo: Supplied / Independent Commission Against Corruption PNG Papua New Guinea's peak anti-corruption body is on the brink of implosion , senior staff say, as its three commissioners, who hail from Australia and New Zealand, level criminal allegations at each other. The country's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) began operating in 2023 but has been hamstrung by feverish leadership tensions. Deputy commissioners Graham Gill and Daniel Baulch have accused commissioner Andrew Forbes of suspected corruption and abuse of power, alleging in a letter that he secretly manipulated ICAC legislation to give himself exclusive power over key agency functions. Meanwhile, Forbes has referred his deputies to police for alleged misconduct involving the authorisation of travel and accommodation costs. Several sources have told the ABC almost all the agency's expatriate staff, including multiple Australians, are likely to resign, stripping the organisation of expertise needed to fight corruption. They have described an environment of "chaos". One staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the situation was "disgraceful" and the organisation had become "completely dysfunctional". It comes at a crucial time, as Papua New Guinea fights desperately to avoid being grey-listed by an international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing watchdog. Kerenga Kua, an opposition MP and former head of the PNG law society, told the ABC the paralysis of ICAC was disappointing for PNG, which may lose more than a billion dollars to corruption each year. "After many, many years of decay and decadence at the hands of white-collar crime … we were looking forward to a bigger, better and brighter future," Kua said. "The whole thing, the way it's been handled at the ICAC level and at the Appointments Committee level is truly regrettable." When the ICAC was set up two years ago, there were high hopes it would mark a turning point for PNG in combating corruption. The commissioners were selected by a group - chaired by PNG Prime Minister James Marape with representatives from the opposition, the judiciary, the Public Services Commission and churches - known as the Appointments Committee. But things at PNG ICAC turned south when the agency began to investigate its own commissioner, Andrew Forbes, early last year. "We reasonably suspect that the commissioner has engaged in a course of corrupt conduct," Gill and Baulch wrote in a letter to the Appointments Committee last July. The next month, ICAC PNG commenced a formal investigation into Forbes, codenamed "Operation North". The investigation culminated in an arrest warrant being authorised last November, accusing Forbes of abusing "the authority of his office". Operation North alleged Forbes misused his position to secretly change laws, effectively giving himself exclusive power to probe politicians and public officials, according to a copy of the warrant seen by the ABC. The warrant said Forbes allegedly changed the wording of key ICAC regulations so that only qualified lawyers could conduct hearings and make orders, directions and summons. Forbes was the only commission member who fit that description, the warrant said, which meant those changes effectively gave him singular powers and stripped the ability of the deputy commissioners to carry out core responsibilities. It further alleged that Forbes deliberately concealed the changes to the regulations from the deputy commissioners and other ICAC staff. The letter to the Appointments Committee also accused Forbes of using his personal email address to message a senior public servant who was being investigated by the commission. The commissioner did not respond to the ABC's request for comment. Forbes is a lawyer from Brisbane who was previously a partner at the commercial law firm Turks Legal and has no apparent prior experience in anti-corruption work. His LinkedIn page states that his areas of expertise include commercial litigation, administrative and regulatory law. After the arrest warrant was authorised, Forbes obtained a court injunction stopping ICAC and the police from arresting him and conducting investigations into the matter while it was before the Appointments Committee. The commissioners at their swearing-in ceremony. Photo: Supplied / Independent Commission Against Corruption PNG Over the weekend, Forbes reported deputy commissioners Graham Gill and Dan Baulch to police for alleged financial misconduct. The ABC understands Gill and Baulch have since left PNG. Baulch is a former detective with Victoria police in Australia and Gill was a senior executive in charge of evaluation, intelligence and corporate affairs at the Serious Fraud Office in New Zealand. The fraud and anti-corruption squad confirmed it was investigating "serious allegations" related to fraudulent approval of travel and accommodation expenses. In a written response to the ABC, the deputy commissioners said they believed they had been "subjected to retaliatory behaviour" and that they would strongly defend the allegations". In a media release, Forbes said he "did not tolerate misconduct at any level" but did not provide further details about the deputies' alleged misconduct. It is not the first accusation levelled against a deputy commissioner. In August last year, two weeks after the complaint against him was lodged, Forbes referred Baulch to the Appointments Committee. He claimed Baulch failed to disclose a prior criminal charge in his application for a PNG visa and other immigration documents. He also accused Baulch of bullying and harassing Forbes's assistant when she was interviewed by Baulch as part of the Operation North investigation. The commissioner further claimed Baulch falsely made out he was authorised to approve ICAC requisitions and expenses. Almost a year since the matters against Forbes and Baulch were referred to the Appointments Committee, no decision has been reached. PNG Prime Minister James Marape during a visit to New Zealand in March. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Several ICAC insiders have told the ABC they believe the Appointments Committee failed disastrously in its handling of the allegations against the deputy commissioners. "It's been terribly handled," one source said, speaking anonymously. "I think if they'd done their job properly then it wouldn't have got to the extent is has." Peter Aitsi, who chairs anti-corruption organisation Transparency International PNG, said when serious allegations of misconduct were made, the "right thing for individuals to do is step aside". Aitsi said an oversight committee should be appointed to resolve the issues as quickly as possible and restore ICAC's functions. Prime Minister James Marape did not respond directly to the ABC's questions. In a public media statement, he said the Appointments Committee had asked for a detailed report and legal review to be submitted to PNG's cabinet for consideration. "Once recommendations are endorsed, cabinet will take swift and responsible action to restore stability within ICAC," he said. "This institution must not fall. It was created to be a cornerstone in the fight against corruption - not a battleground of personalities and power struggles." ICAC staff were among those marching during the Walk Against Corruption in Port Moresby in June 2024. Photo: Supplied / Independent Commission Against Corruption PNG Many are concerned the recent issues within ICAC could worsen PNG's already-bleak chances of being grey-listed by the international anti-money laundering watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF "grey lists" countries it believes have weaknesses in its regimes for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The country has already been put on notice by FATF and faces a review in October this year. Stephen Howes, an economist at the Lowy Institute in Australia, said PNG was grey-listed in 2014 - but removed quickly because it passed legislation the following year to strengthen the anti-corruption framework in the financial sector. "But now the view is that not enough has been done to implement that legislation," he said. "The recent ICAC implosion will do nothing to dispel that impression." Professor Howes said being grey-listed would make it harder for PNG's new banks to operate internationally. Grey-listing would also be a reputational blow for PNG, which marks its 50th anniversary of Independence in September this year. Despite the concerns, Transparency International's Peter Aitsi said the PNG public still had a strong belief in the value of ICAC. "We need to work quickly to reset and restore that trust again," he said. -ABC
ABC News
05-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Australian and NZ anti-corruption bosses embroiled in 'chaos' at ICAC PNG
Papua New Guinea's peak anti-corruption body is on the brink of implosion, senior staff say, as its three commissioners, who hail from Australia and New Zealand, level criminal allegations at each other. The country's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) began operating in 2023 but has been hamstrung by feverish leadership tensions. Deputy commissioners Graham Gill and Daniel Baulch have accused commissioner Andrew Forbes of suspected corruption and abuse of power, alleging in a letter that he secretly manipulated ICAC legislation to give himself exclusive power over key agency functions. Meanwhile, Mr Forbes has referred his deputies to police for alleged misconduct involving the authorisation of travel and accommodation costs. Several sources have told the ABC almost all the agency's expatriate staff, including multiple Australians, are likely to resign, stripping the organisation of expertise needed to fight corruption. They have described an environment of "chaos". One staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the situation was "disgraceful" and the organisation had become "completely dysfunctional". It comes at a crucial time, as Papua New Guinea fights desperately to avoid being grey-listed by an international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing watchdog. Kerenga Kua, an opposition MP and former head of the PNG law society, told the ABC the paralysation of ICAC was disappointing for PNG, which may lose more than a billion dollars to corruption each year. "After many, many years of decay and decadence at the hands of white-collar crime … we were looking forward to a bigger, better and brighter future," Mr Kua said. "The whole thing, the way it's been handled at the ICAC level and at the Appointments Committee level is truly regrettable." When the ICAC was set up two years ago, there were high hopes it would mark a turning point for PNG in combating corruption. The commissioners were selected by a group — chaired by PNG Prime Minister James Marape with representatives from the opposition, the judiciary, the Public Services Commission and churches — known as the Appointments Committee. But things at PNG ICAC turned south when the agency began to investigate its own commissioner, Andrew Forbes, early last year. "We reasonably suspect that the commissioner has engaged in a course of corrupt conduct," Mr Gill and Mr Baulch wrote in a letter to the Appointments Committee last July. The next month, ICAC PNG commenced a formal investigation into Mr Forbes, codenamed "Operation North". The investigation culminated in an arrest warrant being authorised last November, accusing Mr Forbes of abusing "the authority of his office". Operation North alleged Mr Forbes misused his position to secretly change laws, effectively giving himself exclusive power to probe politicians and public officials, according to a copy of the warrant seen by the ABC. The warrant said Mr Forbes allegedly changed the wording of key ICAC regulations so that only qualified lawyers could conduct hearings and make orders, directions and summons. Mr Forbes was the only commission member who fit that description, the warrant said, which meant those changes effectively gave him singular powers and stripped the ability of the deputy commissioners to carry out core responsibilities. It further alleged that Mr Forbes deliberately concealed the changes to the regulations from the deputy commissioners and other ICAC staff. The letter to the Appointments Committee also accused Mr Forbes of using his personal email address to message a senior public servant who was being investigated by the commission. The commissioner did not respond to the ABC's request for comment. Mr Forbes is a lawyer from Brisbane who was previously a partner at the commercial law firm Turks Legal and has no apparent prior experience in anti-corruption work. His LinkedIn page states that his areas of expertise include commercial litigation, administrative and regulatory law. After the arrest warrant was authorised, Mr Forbes obtained a court injunction stopping ICAC and the police from arresting him and conducting investigations into the matter while it was before the Appointments Committee. Over the weekend, Mr Forbes reported deputy commissioners Graham Gill and Dan Baulch to police for alleged financial misconduct. The ABC understands Mr Gill and Mr Baulch have since left PNG. Mr Baulch is a former detective with Victoria Police in Australia and Mr Gill was a senior executive in charge of evaluation, intelligence and corporate affairs at the Serious Fraud Office in New Zealand. The fraud and anti-corruption squad confirmed it was investigating "serious allegations" related to fraudulent approval of travel and accommodation expenses. In a written response to the ABC, the deputy commissioners said they believed they had been "subjected to retaliatory behaviour" and that they would strongly defend the allegations". In a media release, Mr Forbes said he "did not tolerate misconduct at any level" but did not provide further details about the deputies' alleged misconduct. It is not the first accusation levelled against a deputy commissioner. In August last year, two weeks after the complaint against him was lodged, Mr Forbes referred Mr Baulch to the Appointments Committee. He claimed Mr Baulch failed to disclose a prior criminal charge in his application for a PNG visa and other immigration documents. He also accused Mr Baulch of bullying and harassing Mr Forbes's assistant when she was interviewed by Mr Baulch as part of the Operation North investigation. The commissioner further claimed Mr Baulch falsely made out he was authorised to approve ICAC requisitions and expenses. Almost a year since the matters against Mr Forbes and Mr Baulch were referred to the Appointments Committee, no decision has been reached. Several ICAC insiders have told the ABC they believe the Appointments Committee failed disastrously in its handling of the allegations against the deputy commissioners. "It's been terribly handled," one source said, speaking anonymously. "I think if they'd done their job properly then it wouldn't have got to the extent is has." Peter Aitsi, who chairs anti-corruption organisation Transparency International PNG, said when serious allegations of misconduct are made, the "right thing for individuals to do is step aside". Do you know more about this story? Contact Mr Aitsi said an oversight committee should be appointed to resolve the issues as quickly as possible and restore ICAC's functions. Prime Minister James Marape did not respond directly to the ABC's questions. In a public media statement, he said the Appointments Committee had asked for a detailed report and legal review to be submitted to PNG's cabinet for consideration. "Once recommendations are endorsed, cabinet will take swift and responsible action to restore stability within ICAC," he said. "This institution must not fall. It was created to be a cornerstone in the fight against corruption — not a battleground of personalities and power struggles." Many are concerned the recent issues within ICAC could worsen PNG's already-bleak chances of being grey-listed by the international anti-money laundering watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF "grey lists" countries it believes have weaknesses in its regimes for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The country has already been put on notice by FATF and faces a review in October this year. Stephen Howes, an economist at the Lowy Institute in Australia, said PNG was grey-listed in 2014 — but removed quickly because it passed legislation the following year to strengthen the anti-corruption framework in the financial sector. "But now the view is that not enough has been done to implement that legislation," he said. "The recent ICAC implosion will do nothing to dispel that impression." Professor Howes said being grey-listed would make it harder for PNG's new banks to operate internationally. Grey-listing would also be a reputational blow for PNG, which marks its 50th anniversary of Independence in September this year. Despite the concerns, Transparency International's Peter Aitsi said the PNG public still had a strong belief in the value of ICAC. "We need to work quickly to reset and restore that trust again," he said.
