The Papua New Guinea Independent Commission Against Corruption (PNG ICAC) welcomes its Commissioners after being sworn in at the Government House Port Moresby on the 4th of July 2023.
Welcoming the Commissioners, the PNG ICAC Interim Chairman Thomas Eluh said their coming has been much anticipated.
“The Commissioners’ swearing-in today is a milestone achievement for Papua New Guinea,” Mr Eluh said.
The Commissioner Andrew Forbes comes from Australia, is a lawyer by profession, has worked for over 30 years in the legal field, and brings a wealth of experience in contentious disputes, and disciplinary and regulatory proceedings.
The Deputy Commissioner, Operations Daniel Baulch is also from Australia and was a former police officer with the Victoria Police. He has worked in law enforcement for more than 20 years and brings a wealth of experience in the field of investigations.
The Deputy Commissioner Prevention and Corporate Graham Gill is from New Zealand. Prior to his current appointment, he was the deputy chief executive corporate & strategy with the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office. He was also a former police officer with the New Zealand Police, and he brings with him 26 years of experience in prevention work and investigations.
L-R: Deputy Comissioner Operations Daniel Baulch, Commissioner Andrew Forbes and Deputy Commissioner Prevention and Corporate during their swearing in at the Government House in Konedobu, Port Moresby.
Mr Eluh announced that his role as the Interim Chairman has come to an end with the swearing-in of the three Commissioners.
The newly appointed Commissioner Forbes thanked the outgoing chairman and said Mr Eluh has set the foundation on which they will continue to build to fully establish and operationalise the PNG ICAC.
“Our priority will be to foster cooperation across government departments, anti-corruption agencies, and the private sector, and we also welcome the support of the people to address corruption in Papua New Guinea,” he said.
Supporting the Commissioner’s statement, Deputy Commissioner Baulch stated that ICAC needs to form partnerships and collaboration both domestically and internationally.
“We are looking forward to working with those who share the passion of the PNG people in wanting to fight corruption. We have the mandate of our legislation, but we continue to seek unwavering support of the people and partner agencies to stop corruption,” Deputy Commissioner Baulch said.
Deputy Commissioner Prevention and Corporate Administration, Graham Gill added that corruption has huge economic impacts. Internationally between 0.5 percent and 5 percent of government spending is lost to fraud and corruption.
“This means that government funds do not reach the most vulnerable and in need,” he said.
“It undermines the economy and creates an impediment to growth. This is why fighting corruption is an important task and one we are committed to.”