Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

PNG govt minister charged with misappropriating funds

Posted at 07:24 on 28 January, 2009 UTC

A Papua New Guinea State Minister Assisting the Prime Minister, Philemon Embel, has been arrested, charged and briefly locked up at the Boroko police cells on a charge of misappropriation.

The Post Courier newspaper reports that police allege that Mr Embel, the member for Nipa Kutubu and minister assisting on constitutional affairs, benefitted from 80-thousand US dollars paid to a church in his electorate by the Southern Highlands Provincial Government in 2006 for a literacy program.

Later yesterday, Mr Embel issued a statement after reportedly being released on bail, denying any wrongdoing and vowing to clear his reputation in court.

He said the alleged incident happened in 2006 when he was not in Parliament.