by Quinton Alomp – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Two Australian lawyers representing the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate in a court battle against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill are put on a travel ban into Papua New Guinea because they are using incorrect visas.
Chief Migration Officer, Mataio Rabura said lawyers Gred Egan and Terence Lambert are not using the right visa permit for their activity in PNG.
“These two individuals have been entering the country on business visas but have in fact been engaged in employment.
“The two individuals are welcome to apply for employment visas as they should have done originally,” the Chief Migration Officer said.
Mr Rabura said the Australians have been in breach of immigration law on repeated occasions as they have been entering the country unlawfully on incorrect visas.
His explanation comes after Opposition leader Don Polye labelled it as “highly suspicious”.
The issuance of the travel ban was followed by the suspension of two senior police officers, Timothy Gitua and Thomas Eluh, who are lead investigators in a fraud case against the Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill.
Polye said the sequence of events preventing the lawyers and the suspension of police officers at nearly same time, according to Polye, means the government is playing tactics to hide the truth.
But Police Commissioner, Gary Baki said the two police officers were suspended purely on administrative discipline and has no link to politics.
Late this afternoon, the Chief Migration Officer said the two Australian lawyers representing National Fraud and Anit-Corruption Directorate, in which Gitua and Eluh are parties too, can reapply for employment visa’s, to be allowed into the country and represent their client in court.
