Work on setting up the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is moving steadily ahead as appointments were made this week  for the three top positions – Commissioner and two deputy Commissioners. Although no names are being announced at this point until letters of formalization have been exchanged, Prime Minister  James Marape called it “a historic decision” as he oversaw the appointments at the ICAC Appointments Committee meeting he convened this morning in his capacity as Chairman. The meeting saw him receive the report containing the recommendations from the Independent Interview Panel, headed by Chairman Peter Aitsi. He said: “It is a historic decision today. We have made the appointments for the Commissioner and two Deputy Commissioners to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. We are now in the process of issuing the letter of appointments and finally completing the process. “This is a good Christmas gift to the people of Papua New Guinea since the late Siaguru talked about setting up ICAC in the late 1980s, and seven prime ministers before me have passed through with no ICAC delivery. “But under my time, the ICAC Bill was taken to Parliament and passed, and I want to thank the leaders who stood with me on the 30 November 2020 to pass this law which went through the process in 2021, and now it is progressing to the full appointment of the three commissioners. “It has taken us seven months for the process to be completed. We needed to do it above politics in a fair, open and transparent manner. “An independent recruitment agency was appointed, well over 229 applications received, both locally and internationally, and processed through an independent appointments committee headed by Transparency International chairman Peter Aitsi and assisted by Department of Personnel Management Secretary. “Six names have come to the Appointments Committee and three were picked. “Let me also indicate that this was also the first time that a process of appointment had to use a computerized psychometric test on the ability of the candidates to deliver on the expected outcomes to fight corruption. “In my commendation to the Appointments Committee, I said this law is my generation of leaders' best gift to the country. “I am working to build roads, classrooms, and all those others but setting up this law, in my view, is the best thing I could have done for the country. We need to fight corruption and prosecute those who commit corruption in our country. “So finally, before Christmas 2022, we have made the appointment for the three commissioners – one Commissioner and two Deputy Commissioners. “Next year, we will fully fund ICAC and have it up and running in full,” said the Prime Minister. The Appointments Committee comprises the following office holders: • The Prime Minister • The Leader of the Opposition • The Chief Justice • The Chair of the Public Services Commission and • The Chair of the Papua New Guinea Council of Churches To ensure a credible and arms-length process in the recruitment of ICAC commissioners, the Appointments Committee decided to invite a panel of five (5) highly qualified and reputable people to form the Independent Interview Panel and to engage an external recruitment agency CC Pacific Ltd via a competitive tender process to manage, coordinate and conduct the recruitment of ICAC commissioner. The recruitment notice was widely advertised in Papua New Guinea’s major daily newspapers as required in the OLICAC Act and also published in newspapers in Australia and New Zealand. These advertisements were further supported by posts on online recruitment platforms as well as direct approaches to anti-corruption agencies and similar types of law enforcement agencies. A total of 229 applications were received – 104 from PNG and 124 from overseas candidates to fill the positions of Commissioner and the two Deputy Commissioner roles. The recruitment firm undertook the initial screening to arrive at a long list and this list was further assessed by the Independent Interview Panel to settle on a short list to progress to the interview stage. At all times, the Independent Interview Panel members conducted themselves in a highly professional manner, demonstrating individuality of thought and being very mindful of the importance of their task. The Independent Interview Panel consisted of the following people: • Mr. Peter John Aitsi MBE – Chair • Ms. Taies Sansan – Vice Chair • Dame Meg Taylor DBE – Member • His Honour Justice Les Gavara-Nanu OBE CSM – Member • Mr. Frawley Terrence DPS, QPM – Member “The panel is confident the process undertaken has been rigorous and comprehensive, culminating today with the handing over of the final report and recommendations to the Appointments Committee. We commend the report to the Ap

King Charles is set to include a tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his first Christmas message as monarch. An image of Charles delivering his speech, which is due to be broadcast on Christmas Day at 15:00 GMT, shows the King in St George's Chapel, Windsor. In her final Christmas message, the late Queen spoke of "passing the baton" to the next generation. And her son's first Christmas Day message will remember her legacy. This will be the first televised annual royal Christmas Day broadcast not to be presented by the late Queen, who appeared in the first TV message in 1957. The photo of the King shows him recording this year's message in the chapel where a committal service was held during the Queen's funeral in September. Both his mother and father, Prince Philip, are buried in the George VI Memorial Chapel within St George's Chapel. The picture, released by Buckingham Palace, shows King Charles standing in front of a Christmas tree with plastic-free, recyclable decorations and arrangements of holly and ivy in the background. This year sees the King and Camilla the Queen Consort return to the tradition of spending Christmas in Sandringham, Norfolk, after concerns about Covid and Queen Elizabeth's health kept the Royal Family in Windsor last year. The Prince and Princess of Wales are among the senior royals expected to be with King Charles for Christmas. In her 2021 Christmas message, the Queen gave a highly personal tribute to her "beloved" Prince Philip, who died in April of that year. Her broadcast was the most watched programme on Christmas Day in 2021, drawing almost nine million viewers. The King's Christmas Day broadcast continues a tradition going back 90 years. The first royal Christmas broadcast was a live radio speech in 1932, delivered from Sandringham by George V, with the script written by the author Rudyard Kipling. In 1957, Elizabeth II delivered the first televised message, saying that it was a technological landmark that "television has made it possible for many of you to see me in your homes on Christmas Day". The message became part of many families' Christmas celebrations and the first televised broadcast in 1957 set a familiar pattern. The national anthem was followed by the monarch speaking directly to the camera, with a speech that included Christmas greetings, a religious lesson, support for the Commonwealth, a round-up of the royal year and a moral message for the times. In 1957 it meant a warning about values in public life, criticising a culture of "self-interest". The timing of the Christmas broadcast was originally set for 15.00 GMT as best for reaching the most countries in different time zones around the world. Source: BBC

A Los Angeles jury on Friday found rapper and singer Tory Lanez guilty of three charges related to the July 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the Hollywood Hills, the Los Angeles County District Attorney told CNN. Lanez had pleaded not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, according to prosecutors. The jury convicted him on all three counts. Megan accused Lanez of shooting her in the foot after she exited a vehicle they had been riding in following an argument. In her testimony during the trial, Megan said things were tense in the car between her, Lanez, and her former friend and assistant, Kelsey Harris, Billboard Magazine reports. The artist testified Lanez wanted her to come clean with Harris about the fact that the two of them had been intimate. But Billboard reports Megan was uncomfortable doing so because she knew Harris had a crush on the Canadian singer and rapper. Megan said she had exited the car when Lanez shot her. “I started walking away and I hear Tory yell, ‘Dance, b***h,” she tearfully testified, according to Billboard. “I froze. I just felt shock. I felt hurt. I looked down at my feet and I see all of this blood.” Megan “showed incredible courage and vulnerability” during her testimony “despite repeated and grotesque attacks,” LA County DA George Gascón said in a statement to CNN following the verdict. “You faced unjust and despicable scrutiny that no woman should ever face and you have been an inspiration to others across LA County and the nation,” he said, in reference to Megan. “Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed. This trial, for the second time this month, highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women,” Gascón added, referring to Harvey Weinstein being found guilty of three out of seven charges on Monday. He also thanked the jurors for “their time and thoughtful deliberation.” Lanez did not take the stand in his defense during the nine-day trial. The jury, comprised of five men and seven women, began deliberating Thursday and a verdict was reached on Friday afternoon. Lanez was taken out of the courtroom by bailiffs in handcuffs after the verdict was read, according to CNN affiliate KCBS. He faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison and possible deportation back to his native Canada. Source: CNN

The Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) announced the commencement of a comprehensive tax audit into two major mining companies operating in Papua New Guinea. Commissioner General Sam Koim made the announcement on Friday (23/12/22). Mr. Koim said, “We have been profiling these two companies (names withheld for confidentiality reasons) for over a year. The letters formally notifying them of the audit were signed and served. We understand that mining is a capital-intensive operation and requires significant investment. Be that as it may, our mineral resources are finite and non-renewable, and we will run out one day. The Government needs to extract a substantial proportion of the value of the resources extracted for the benefit of its citizens, present and the future.” This involves the design and implementation of an appropriate contractual and fiscal system. The one we have is a concessionary fiscal regime where, amongst others, mining companies pay taxes if they make a profit. The regime creates higher incentives for operators to inflate their costs. The Commissioner General said, “That is the reason why the Marape Government is driving the “Take back PNG” agenda to get more from our natural resources’ endowment. Whilst the Government is negotiating better deals for our people in the new mines, IRC has a responsibility to ensure that the existing mines are paying their fair share of taxes. IRC’s role in giving effect to the “Take Back PNG” agenda is to make sure that every taxpayer, and in this particular case the mining companies, pay their fair share of taxes under the existing law.” PNG has a self-assessment tax regime where the taxpayer assesses its own liability, declare that on oath to the tax office and pays on time. That is the tax regime that predominantly exists all over the world where most of these multi-national corporations operate. If the tax office considers that the taxpayer has made false declarations or substantially reduced the liability without justification, the tax office audits that taxpayer with a view to amending the assessment. Mr. Koim assured the taxpayers, “we are not introducing a new law but simply enforcing the existing laws. Entities in the extractive sector had not been scrutinised by the tax office, assuming that they were always doing the right thing. The patterns of abuse are worrying hence we are taking these compliance audits. Abusive transfer pricing and tax treatment of stripping costs, are amongst the areas we are looking into.” He added, “Whilst the mineral prices continue to soar and the production has increased substantially, the Corporate Income Taxes continue to be miniscule. Some even don’t declare of pay any CIT at all for a number of years. Through these audits, we intend to establish whether the taxes they’ve declared and paid are the right amounts. We have completed audit on one mining company, and we are now commencing the two. We are profiling two others. We are also profiling a few oil and gas companies for potential audit.”

The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission ("ICCC") announces that it will not oppose the proposed share acquisition and restructure in Digitec ICT Limited ("Digitec"), (the 'proposed transaction'). The proposed transaction would involve an indirect transfer of 49 per cent shares owned by Austel Investments Pty Ltd ("Austel") to Vodafone Fii Pte Ltd ("Vodafone Fiji") who already has 51 per cent shares in Digitec. Vodafone Fiji proposes to purchase all of Austel's shares in Digitec through its wholly owned subsidiary, ICT Holdings Limited ("ICT Holdings"). According to the ICCC Commissioner and CEO, Mr. Paulus Ain, "the ICCC will not intervene in the proposed transaction and restructure in the share ownership of Digitec". Commissioner Ain started that "the ICCC, after assessing all the available information, considered that the proposed transaction does not meet any of the mandatory notification thresholds stipulated under section 81 (1) of the ICCC Act". Mr. Ain said, "the transaction is also not likely to raise any serious competition issues in any relevant markets that Digitec operates in". Based on available information and taking into consideration the relevant provisions of the ICCC Act, Commissioner Ain stated that "the ICCC refrains from taking any action to prevent the proposed transaction at this time". When announcing this, Commissioner Ain also encouraged businesses in the country to inform and discuss with ICCC on an similar transactions before proceeding any further.

People’s Alliance Leader, Sitiveni Rabuka has been elected as Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji. He received 28 votes in a secret ballot in parliament. Rabuka was nominated for the post of Prime Minister by SODELPA Leader, Viliame Gavoka. FijiFirst Leader, Voreqe Bainimarama was nominated for the PM’s post by FijiFirst MP, Alvick Maharaj. He received 27 votes. The People’s Alliance/NFP/SODELPA coalition has 29 seats in total in parliament while the FijiFirst Party 26 seats. This means one coalition member voted for the FijiFirst Party nominee. Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka is now at State House to get sworn-in by President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere. While leaving for the State House, Rabuka said he feels humbled after being elected as the country’s Prime Minister. Rabuka returns as Prime Minister after 23 years. He lost the prime ministership after his SVT/NFP/GVP coalition lost the 1999 elections. Parliament will resume later today to elect the Leader of the Opposition. Parliament will resume later today to elect the Leader of the Opposition. Source: fijivillage

Metal forceps were left inside a patient in a so-called never event at a Worcestershire hospital. The error occurred during a complex seven-hour abdominal operation at Alexandra Hospital on 23 November. The patient spent the night in intensive care at the site in Redditch when the six-inch (15 cm) object could not be retrieved the same day. The hospital trust has apologized unreservedly and said it would share the findings of an investigation. The instrument was an arterial clamp resembling a large pair of scissors. Under normal circumstances, all instruments should be counted and checked twice before the patient is closed. There is also a process of "signing out" at the end of an operation to confirm they are all accounted for. A source claimed such an incident - known as a never event - should not be able to happen. It was also claimed that nothing like this had happened at the hospital for at least 15 years. The BBC understands that following the lengthy operation, the device was found to be missing and was confirmed to be inside the patient, via x-ray, while they were still under anesthetic. When it was not possible to remove the forceps, the patient was transferred to intensive care overnight. A further operation was carried out the next day to remove the clamp and the patient returned to intensive care where they were described as stable. Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We are aware of an incident which involved a surgical instrument being left inside a patient following surgery. "There are clear and well established processes in place to protect patients from this kind of event, which are exceptionally rare. "We are currently carrying out an investigation into what happened. The patient and their family have been informed as part of our duty of candour. "We have apologized unreservedly to the patient and promised to share the findings of our investigation with them once it is completed."   Source: BBC

Six male suspects were arrested in a dawn raid and police recovered a factory made shot gun, two home-made rifles, some bullets and several knives at Port Moresby's Talai and Gorobe settlements this week in their festive operation. A police team comprising members of Sector Patrol Fox 100 units and Badili Police stormed into several homes at Talai and Gorobe settlements this week, nabbing the suspects and confiscating the weapons. The raid was conducted early morning on Friday 23rd December after some settlers from Hela Province reported a case of shooting, in which some suspects allegedly fired gunshots into a residential premises. NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Silva Sika said, police responded swiftly by conducting the raid at around 4am and the six suspects from Hela province were arrested and detained in the cells at the Badili Police Station. Mr. Sika said the suspects will be charged by CID and the Badili Police Station Commander Inspector Obert Jerry. His team will re-visit the settlements yesterday to conduct awareness on peace and good order. The Met-Supt also warned the community affected by this incident to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and allow police to investigate this matter. He said police will maintain regular patrols in Talai and Gorobe settlements from yesterday onwards until the conflict between the two factions is fully resolved.

The Investment Promotion Authority has assured the business community and its clientele that the Organization is putting all efforts behind the scenes in ensuring that the transition from the old system to the new one goes well and with minimal disruption to services. Managing Director of the IPA Mr. Clarence Hoot gave the assurance following the switch to an upgraded online registry system. “Given the magnitude of data in the previous registry, coupled with the fact that the data is being migrated to a totally new system, the migration process is taking a while,” Mr. Hoot said. “It is advisable that clients consider giving time for data to be fully migrated before they can update their business records. However, the option to register new entities is currently accessible.”

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary received a cheer of Christmas Spirit in the form of refreshing K-One Raspberry flavored soft drinks from Oceania Beverage Limited this week at the Boroko Police Station. Oceania Beverage Limited Finance Manager Mr. Mark Joseph Bautista presented twenty cartons of their new K-One Raspberry flavored soft drinks to Chief Inspector David Terry who received the token of appreciation on behalf of Metropolitan Superintendent Silva Sika in the presence of media houses who gathered to witness the presentation. Mr. Bautista and his team wanted to show their appreciation to Police Personnel for their hard work and dedication in maintaining peace and safety in the community, especially during the festive season. Chief Inspector David Terry welcomed the gifts and stated that this relationship will continue as the Public-Private Partnership with the Police is further enhanced with such kind gestures. He also added that this was the second time Oceania Beverage Limited had gifted them and said it is gestures such as this that promotes mutual trust and understanding between Police, business houses and the rest of the community.

In time for the new year, PNG Air wishes to advise our customers and the travelling public of the introduction of a second mid- week service to Moro, Southern Highlands Province and Vanimo, Sandaun Province. Flight CG8540 will depart Port Moresby for Moro on Wednesdays, and return via Mount Hagen as CG8541. Flights are operated using the ATR72-600 aircraft. Flight CG1628 will depart Port Moresby for Vanimo via Madang and Wewak on Wednesdays, and returned as CG1629. Flights are operated using the Dash 8-100 aircraft. These additional service increase the availability of accessible and affordable air and cargo services for the people of the South Highlands and Sandaun Provinces, connecting travelers with our domeastic network across Papua New Guinea. Further to this, there is an additional non-stop return frequency between Port Moresby and Lae on Saturday afternoon providing increased connectivity between the two cities. Flight CG8502 will depart Port Moresby for La on Saturday and return as CG8503. Flights are operated using the ATR72-600 aircraft. These additional services are to take effect from Wednesday 28th December 2022.

PNG Air is pleased to announce the renewal and extension of our Sponsorship the the Central Dabaris for further three years. As the official airline partner of Central Dabaris Rugby Club, the airline provides flights and logistical support for the team to their games outside of Port Moresby. PNG Air recognizes that sport plays a key role in development, and are proud to support the Central Dabaris rugby club in their endeavors to promote the sport throughout the nation. The agreement was signed yesterday with representation from both organization. PNG Air Chief Commercial Officer, Simoon C. Pitt said, "We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Central Dabaris and are looking forward to engage with their passionate fans to showcase our band. We recognize this significant partnership and are proud to support the Central Dabaris for the next three years." "Moving 21 people at any one time isn't easy, but the service from the PNG Air staff has been exceptional", said Hubert Warupi, Managing Director for Central Dabaris. "PNG Air has been the official airline carrier since the inception of the club and have greatly helped with the movement of players and staff. PNG Air is our preferred travel partner and I encourage all other franchises to do the same." The Central Dabaris are looking to improve their standing from last year in the 2023 season of the Digicel Cup and the PNG Air wishes them the very best in their campaign.