8/7/2019 Today's Frontpage April 21 2011

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Former Minister reacts to ban

on investment application

Page 3

Vanuatu seeks

mutual learning on

development challengesPage 2

Vanuatu Paralympics

Athletes to take part inthe Arafura Games

Page 15

SHEFA pictorial pagePage 6 

I have been saved from going

to hell: boy suicide bomberPage 9

Page 5

Air VAnuAtu hAs grAVe 

concerns or the impartiality 

o the Commission o Inquiry 

to investigate aircrat opera-

tions on 21 February 2011,

a statement rom the airline

stated.

The airline has sought

legal clarication o the terms

o reerence, specically the

appointment o committee

members, the time period

o the Commission and the

opportunity or Air Vanuatu

to have a air and legal hear-

ing.

“As the national carrier, Air

 Vanuatu has a responsibility 

to its shareholders, sta and

passengers to ensure its oper-

ation meets the highest sae-

ty standards.

“Any a l l ega t ion tha t

responsibility has not been

met is strongly reuted by the

airline.

“Air Vanuatu has speci-

ic concerns regarding the

appointment o Commission

members who may have a

confict o interest.

“Two ormer employees

o Air Vanuatu have been

appointed to the Commis-

sion. Their personal rela-tionships with current and

ormer sta targeted in the

inquiry may unintentionally 

infuence the outcome o the

Commission.

“Similarly, another mem-

ber o the Commission was

involved with the industri-

al action taken against Air

 Vanuatu in 2005. This expe-

rience may also unintention-

ally infuence the outcome o 

the Commission.

“Air Vanuatu has speci-

ic concerns regarding the

time period o the commis-

sion and the opportunity or

 Air Vanuatu to have a air andlegal hearing.

“Air Vanuatu received or-

mal advice o the Commission

o Inquiry by a hand deliv-

ered letter rom the Minis-

ter or Justice on Tuesday 19

 April 2011.

o To Page 2

Report allegesNISCOL withVt450m debt

Air Van seekslegal advice

on COI

By Jane JoshuaOn the Verge Of A mOtiOn 

o no conidence against

Prime Minister Sato Kilman

the government yesterday 

received a damning report

about Northern Islands Ste-

 ved ori ng Com pan y Lim it-

ed (NISCOL) rom the our

investigators appointed by 

the government.

Finance Minister Moana

Carcasses, who initially 

appointed the investigators

on March 2, 2011 expressed

his alarm and surprise over

the contents o the prelimi-

nary report when he handed

it to Deputy Prime Minister

Ham Lini on behal o PM Kil-

man yesterday aternoon.

“NISCOL is over Vt450mil-

lion in debt,” said minister

Carcasses. “The recommen-dation is or an urgent review

to the contract which ties

NISCOL to the Vanuatu gov-

ernment due to continuous

reusal, ailure, non respect

or the NISCOL company to

comply with the provision o 

constitutional agreement.

“There are many recom-

mendations and the govern-

ment is obliged to address

them.

“The preliminary report

has revealed the act that NIS-

COL is no longer a company 

to service the needs o people

in the provinces o SANMA 

(40% shares ) MALAM-PA (20% shares), PENAMA 

(20%), TORBA (10% shares)

and the Vanuatu government

(10%),”he said.

He alleged that unds

rom the company were used

instead on political purpos-

es.

He produced a letter and

questioned why the hotel

invoices o a leader o a polit-

ical party (which he did not

name) was to be paid by NIS-

COL.

He questioned why NIS-

COL had a huge unpaid water

bill but their meter was never

cut.

The minister said the com-

pany also owes the govern-

ment through VAT payments,

a huge amount.

“What government would

accept that it collects on our

behal but does not give it to

the government?”Carcasses said NISCOL

also has a large outstanding

in terms o VNPF payments.

“In the past the turnover

o NISCOL was something,

now it is nothing. I you com-

pared it to Iira there is no

comparison as the company 

in Ira is well managed.

“There are more than 192

 wharvages collec ted which

 were never paid to the gov-

ernment,” the minis ter

alleged.

“I the government today 

must be toppled because it

tries to clean up NISCOL,

then so be it,” Carcasses

said.

He said the reality is that

the government has checks

and balance mechanisms in

place but many cannot do

their job.

He said police should

do theirs, such as when thecouncilllors barred the inves-

tigators to do their job the

police should do their job but

they did not, as well as Pros-

ecution oce, VAT and VNPF

but not one dared to as even

businessmen rom Luganville

are reportedly scared o NIS-

COL, hence the line o debts.

Minister Carcasses who

described the NISCOL issue

as very ‘sensitive’ said it was

only when Chie Inspector

 Antoin e Pik iou ne and the

investigation team hand-

ed the report to him that he

understood why there was

so much debate over NIS-

COL.

Meanwhile, NISCOL man-

agement has opposed the

appointment o investiga-

tors in the past, citing con-

fict o interest or members,

especially the Chie Inspector

 Anto ine Pikioune who wasormerly involved with the

company.

Chie Executive, Kalau

Moli, did not comment on the

issue yesterday when he was

contacted but indicated that

the company is already tak-

ing legal action.

(l-r) Chief Inspector Pikoune and Minister Carcasses yesterday but NISCOL management says issue matter for court

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