Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), 3 April 2023 - Dispensing justice according to law without fear or favour, self-interest, or deceit, remains the mainstay of PNG courts, affirmed the Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea, Sir Gibuna Gibbs Salika, KBE, during briefings with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Lawyers and all law enforcement officers need to use PNG’s anti-corruption legislation by bringing strong cases to test them in the Courts, Sir Gibuna told UNODC.
The judiciary is an independent pillar of Government under the doctrine of the separation of powers enshrined in sections 99 of the Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. The judiciary is instrumental in the crucial role of upholding the rule of law and the prudent oversight of enforcement in the criminal justice system.
UNODC, as custodian of the UN Convention against Corruption, and through the European Union-funded PNG Anti-Corruption Project, implemented jointly with the UN Development Programme, took the opportunity this week to be updated personally by the Chief Justice and by Justice Berrigan, who administers the national fraud courts.
The PNG Judiciary set up its fraud court in 2013 to address the large number of corruption and fraud cases in the country. The fraud court hears cases of corruption, financial crime, and fraud-related offences. It also has its own registry and has been dealing with corruption cases for almost a decade.
“There are many good laws to combat corruption in this country, I encourage lawyers and all law enforcement officers to test them in the Courts. We, the Judiciary are committed to meeting the expectations of our people. We are committed to the protection and adherence to the rule of law and dispensing justice according to law without fear or favour, self-interest, or deceit. We are committed to being the guardians, custodians and protectors of the Constitution and the Laws of this country,” said Chief Justice, Sir Gibuna Gibbs Salika, KBE.
“UNODC works throughout the world responding to requests to strengthen criminal justice processes, particularly in relation to corruption and transnational crime. In PNG, under the EU-funded project, we are supporting corruption investigators and prosecutors to develop strong cases and apply modern tools like anti-money laundering and asset recovery laws where appropriate,” said Graeme Gunn, UNODC Officer-in-Charge and Anti-Corruption Advisor in PNG.
UNODC, as the custodian of the UN Convention Against Corruption, undertakes its 2023 programmes to combat corruption under the theme “UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption”, building up to International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December 2023 and the 10th biennial Conference of States Parties on UNCAC. In the Pacific, UNODC partners with the Pacific Islands Forum to implement the regional anti-corruption roadmap, the Teieniwa Vision, adopted by the 18 Pacific Leaders in 2021 and devised at the Pacific Unity Against Corruption Leaders Conference in 2020, hosted by the Government of Kiribati and facilitated by UNODC.
