An Australian aircraft restoration society has described as "ludicrous" claims by a Papua New Guinea National Museum official that it tried to smuggle World War II relics out of PNG.
A batch of aircraft parts from Manus Island in PNG's north has been impounded in Port Moresby while police investigate whether its planned shipment to Australia was legally authorised.
But the Sydney-based Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) said its shipment had been part of a reciprocal agreement authorised by the National Museum and other relevant authorities.
HARS director of restorations Robert Greinert said claims by the museum's former acting director Simon Poraituk of a smuggling attempt were hard to fathom when the society and the museum had cooperated for years on aircraft restoration.
Poraituk said this week his office was not aware of the planned shipment of the nine-cubic-metre container of aircraft parts and was not involved in war relics exports.
When HARS presented documents signed in September authorising shipment of the relics, he expressed concern they had been signed by former museum director Soroi Eoe whose term in office expired in June.
But Greinert told AAP, Eoe was still acting museum director when he signed the documents in September because Poraituk's position as the new acting director had not been gazetted.
This was confirmed by Narakobi Lawyers in Port Moresby, he said.
Greinert said Poraituk's claims had come as a total surprise because he had earlier briefed him on the shipment and so had his staff.
"If we were trying to smuggle the stuff, why would we address it to the National Museum?
"Quite frankly, the notion that smuggling is involved is ludicrous.
"Mr Poraituk may have just made a genuine mistake and got his facts mixed up," he said.
Since 2000, HARS has been involved in a project with the museum to restore free of charge an American P38 Lightning fighter aircraft and a Japanese Kawasaki Tony fighter for display in PNG.
The agreed contra deal was for HARS to recover aircraft parts for its own restoration projects or exchange programs.
Greinert said he was concerned over recent reports that 80,000 kina ($A37,150) donated by HARS to the museum to fix its air-conditioning system had been misappropriated and that a donated vehicle also was being misused.
It is understood both Poraituk and former director Eoe will apply for the museum director's position.
Eoe said the HARS container shipment was legitimate and he was keen to return as director to put things back in order after months of confusion and stupidity.
He said Poraituk was playing politics over the container and was trying to discredit him in the eyes of government ministers.
HARS promotes preservation of Australia's aviation history and has a fleet of 22 flying vintage aircraft and a new museum being built south of Sydney.
Front page
RSS Feed