PNG-World Bank director expelled

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PINA Nius) — The World Bank’s resident director in Papua New Guinea, Dan Weise, has been ordered to leave the country in a dramatic move orchestrated by Chief Secretary Robert Igara, a government source said yesterday.

It was confirmed last night that Foreign Affairs Secretary Leonard Louma had sent a letter to Mr. Weise, informing him that his entry visa would ‘expire’ today, meaning he had until today to leave the country.

Mr. Louma’s order means that Mr. Weise, who is on a weeklong break in Australia, cannot return to the country.

The source said senior government officials have accused Mr. Weise of attempting to sabotage government policies.

The officials have also alleged that Mr. Weise had sought the removal of senior department heads Robert Igara (Chief Secretary) and Koiari Tarata (Treasury Secretary).

This caused Mr. Igara to write to the World Bank requesting that Mr. Weise be removed from PNG.

The source said the allegations leveled against Mr. Weise are not true, but the government has decided to go ahead and expel Mr. Weise, at a time when the World Bank is still considering the request by Mr. Igara.

Another source said the World Bank has expressed concern about the latest turn of events. It prompted the government to dispatch Mr. Igara to Sydney, Australia last night for urgent talks with Klaus Rohland, the World Bank’s country director for PNG, East Timor, East Asia and the Pacific.

Mr. Weise has been in the country for over three years, and has played a major role in the government’s privatization program, and in securing loans from the World Bank and other donors.

He is a strong advocate of the fight against corruption. He pushed for the NPF Commission of Inquiry, and also for those implicated in the Cairns Conservatory scandal to be brought to justice.

The source said the move to remove Mr. Weise has the potential to damage relations between PNG and the World Bank, which is funding the government’s reform and Structural Adjustment Program.

The meeting between Mr. Rohland and Mr. Igara will not only decide Mr. Weise’s future in PNG, but also the World Bank’s other areas of concern about development in PNG.

The World Bank’s second tranche of loan to PNG is now overdue by one month, and this will also be discussed by the two in Sydney.

The World Bank’s assistance to PNG this year is tied to the government’s success in bringing PNGBC to the point of sale.