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Transparency International Papua New Guinea says a planned forestry development in Western Province appears to have got the go-ahead with no due diligence being done by the government.
The large-scale scheme would involve 600 kilometres of roads being built, while taking a small amount of forestry along the routes. It is estimated to cost 4.8 billion kina yet the tax payer would pay nothing.
The Australian principals behind the project are also linked with an earlier discredited scheme planned for the same area in Western Province. However, the agreement still got the endorsement of Prime Minister James Marape, who called it an "integrated agro-forestry project".
Original Article: Watchdog lambasts PNG's poor governance in controversial forestry deal
