An Australian lawyer has been arrested for the third time in Papua New Guinea over the alleged misappropriation of 268m kina ($AUD104m) from a trust fund linked to the controversial Ok Tedi mine, alongside three others. Greg Sheppard, a former Queensland crown prosecutor, has previously been charged with eight counts of financial misconduct including money laundering. Edna Oai, Annie Smerewai and Boston Kassiman, all directors of the Ok Tedi Fly River Development Foundation Limited (OTFRDF), have also been arrested and charged with 15 counts of financial crime including misappropriation and false pretence. Police on Wednesday described the allegations, if proven, as the “single biggest fraud that has ever been investigated by police in the history of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary”. The group had a No 1 Australian hit single, Geronimo, and performed at the AFL grand final last October.

Source: The Guardian July 29, 2021 09:11 UTC