The National
Monday, January 28, 2013
Minister
for Trade Commerce and Industry, Richard Maru has announced that payment
of business development grants (BDGs)
allocated to Angore PDL (petroleum development license) 8 area in Hela will be
delayed indefinitely.
Maru made
this declaration in light of unresolved landowner disputes within Angore PDL 8
regarding distribution of the BDGs, and the existence of a court order
restraining his department and the state from disbursing the funds.
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| Richard Maru |
Maru said
he intended to review the past BDG payments made to other PDL areas that were
part of the PNG LNG project to ascertain how these earlier payments were utilised
and whether or not the groups that received these payments had existing business
with the developer Exxon Mobil.
He said
this was crucial to ascertain the relationship between the BDGs and tangible
developments on the ground brought about by landowner participation in
spin-offs from the PNG LNG project.
“I want to
put on notice landowner companies who have received BDGs that my department
will be doing a review to see what businesses have been started using BDGs paid
out in the past” Maru said.
He said
that BDGs were public funds and those entrusted with these funds must give an
account of the use of these funds and what spinoff businesses were started with
the support of Exxon Mobil.
He added
that these funds are not for landowner company directors and management to
spend on pokies, but to secure long term benefits for landowner beneficiaries
including their future generations.
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