12.17 pm, Sunday November 22 2009

PNG climate office director suspended

09:58 AEST Wed Jul 1 2009
By Ilya Gridneff
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far

Papua New Guinea's Office of Climate Change (OCC) director Dr Theo Yasause has been suspended while an internal investigation of the office is carried out.

PNG's cabinet decided last Friday to sideline Yasause after much speculation surrounding his role.

A PNG government source told AAP a statement would be made on the matter next week.

Yasause has vehemently denied any wrongdoing after a series of media reports highlighted anomalies with the OCC issuing multi-million dollar carbon trading deals without any policy or legislation in place.

Yasause denied any money had exchanged hands in the deals but documents obtained by AAP showed Australian company Carbon Planet paid $1.2 million for projects in PNG.

Leaked documents to The Economist magazine showed Yasause had made deals on a range of other projects throughout PNG.

When AAP asked Yasause about the deals at a news conference in Port Moresby on June 15 he said even though the leaked documents appear to carry his signature, the OCC's official seal and another colleague's signature, they did not represent real deals.

"It's not a false document but a sample," he said.

Asked why he would make sample documents, he said: "We want to see what it looked like."

PNG Department of Environment and Conservation secretary Dr Wari Iamo will become acting OCC director while an investigation is held, the National newspaper reported.

AusAID has announced a corporate planning adviser will be placed in the OCC office for three months as part of the $3 million pledged under the Australia-PNG carbon initiative.

PNG has the world's third-largest rainforest and the government has great interest in turning the asset into carbon trading revenue, but at present no such policy or legislation exists in PNG nor under UN guidelines.

 
SHARE:
MESSENGER
FACEBOOK
MORE
Blog on Spaces
Add to delicious
Add to Digg
Share on MySpace
?
Share, bookmark, and save your favourite ninemsn articles and features.  Learn more.

Most popular

 Demi furious at Photoshop claimsDemi Moore has reacted with fury at allegations her body was badly 'enhanced' by a fashion magazine.
 One dead as Miley Cyrus tour bus crashesThe driver of a Miley Cyrus tour bus has died and one passenger has been injured after the vehicle veered off the road and flipped over in Virginia.
 Barmaid claims she had sex with SA premierA former parliament house barmaid has come forward claiming she had a sexual relationship with South Australian Premier Mike Rann.
 Twins' birth mum wants daughters to stayThe birth mother of twins Krishna and Trishna who gave them up due to poverty says she wants them to remain in Australia to be educated.
 Spears' ex-boyfriend sentenced to jailBritney Spears' ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib is being sent to jail for 45 days for leaving the scene of an accident.
 Departing Oprah problem for TV stationsOprah Winfrey will leave a huge void for broadcast TV in 2011, even as she raises the possibility of more Oprah than ever when she starts her own cable network.
 Kim Watkins' future at Ten uncertainThe future career of morning television host Kim Watkins is uncertain, with Network Ten unable to say if she'll return in 2010.
 Norfolk pilot 'flew without enough fuel'The pilot hailed a hero for ditching his plane safely off Norfolk Island this week may have been dangerously negligent after reportedly making the journey without enough fuel.
 Judge dismisses Cyrus 'slant eyes' suitA US judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus which accused her of discriminating against Asians after she was photographed making "slant eyes".
 British poll reveals sexual ignoranceMore than one in 10 British people don't realise that a woman can still get pregnant if she has sex standing up, according to a poll on Friday.
Amanda Knox at her trial. (AAP)'Harboured hate'Prosecutor sums up murder case against student Amanda Knox. In for the long haul... don't forget activity bag! (Getty Images)Trouble-free tripsTRAVEL: How to plan a family adventure without the pain. A happy fan gets his copy of Modern Warfare. (AAP)Bloody bonanzaModern Warfare 2 rakes in over $500 million in its first week. AAPBad energyIs there a connection between mobile phones and cancer? ACAChurch slammedAussie senator brands Scientology a 'criminal organisation'. Schoolies celebrations on the Gold Coast. (AAP)Schoolies swipeCalls for drinking age to be lifted to 19 ahead of annual teen party.
advertisement
Entourage death Miley Cyrus's driver killed, another injured after tour bus overturns ... read more Running on empty Cleo bachelor pilot reportedly made journey without enough fuel ... read more 'Worst Photoshop ever' Demi Moore's hip deformed in Photoshop disaster ... read more Sickest stunt Furious hackers track down man who hurled dog off bridge and posted video online ... read more Stuck in chair for eight months 365kg man dies after being stuck in a recliner chair for months ... read more Hair dye horror Teenage girl's face 'turns into an alien' after a botched hair dye job ... read more Become a Nine News breaker Seen or heard something? Send tip-offs, images and video from your mobile or PC ... contact us
Monster smashTwilight sequel breaks opening day box-office record as hype rolls on
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete
Other ninemsn businesses: iSelect RateCity
© 1997-2009 ninemsn Pty Ltd - All rights reserved