today's frontpage april 21 2011
TRANSCRIPT
8/7/2019 Today's Frontpage April 21 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/todays-frontpage-april-21-2011 1/1
Local News Santo News Letters Regional /Inter News Classifed/Real Estate ADS Sports
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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