Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Former head of PNG’s Climate Change office gets 30 years for murder

Posted at 21:51 on 30 November, 2012 UTC

The former head of Papua New Guinea’s Climate Change office, Dr Theo Yasause, has been sentenced to a 30-year prison term by National Court for the murder of a former rugby league star.

Aquila Emil, who played for PNG’s national rugby league team, was shot dead in his car near the Lamana night club in Port Moresby in February at the age of 44.

Yasause was chief of staff to PNG’s former Prime Minister Michael Somare before becoming head of PNG’s office of climate change in 2008.

He was suspended from the climate change office in 2009 amid allegations of corruption.