Basil denies wrongdoing

 DEPUTY Opposition leader Sam Basil says there is nothing to hide over his meetings with Sam Koim as implied to by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

O’Neill said yesterday that police would be asked to investigate the involvement of Basil and Koim, the chairman of the disbanded Investigation Task Force Sweep, in the operations of the anti-corruption agency.

Basil said there was nothing improper at all about his meetings with Koim.

“My meetings with Koim on a number of occasion were during my time as the Minister for National Planning and also responsible for the TSF team,” Basil said.

He said Task Force Sweep, when it was set up, had an office beside his at the Department of National Planning.

“Peter O’Neill is yet again trying to use another diversion of attention. And I believe he is running out of new ideas of getting attention from the public, which is generally against him and his government,” Basil said.

He said the Task Force Sweep was set up “to prosecute any wrong-doers breaking the laws and remove corruption in PNG”.

“O’Neill might think that the establishment of Task Force Sweep is to prosecute the enemies of the PM and protect him and his Cabinet ministers,” Basil said.