What is a Leadership complaint?
A leadership complaint is a complaint about the conduct of a Leader which breaches the duties and responsibilities of Leaders established under the Leadership Code.
Leaders are required to maintain a standard conduct under the Leadership Code that ensures the public remain confident, the Leaders of PNG are free from corruption and continue to work for the benefit of the PNG people.
For example, under the Leadership Code:
- Leaders must not place themselves in a position where a conflict of interest may arise. If a leader does have an interest in a matter, that leader must disclose the interest.
- Leaders must not use their Office for the benefit of themselves, their family or associates and they must apply public funds as they were intended. Who is a Leader?
- Members of the Parliament, Provincial Assemblies and Local Level Governments,
- Constitutional office holders, e.g. Ombudsman
- Heads of National Public Service Departments, statutory authorities and Provincial Administrators,
- The Commissioner of Police, Commander of the Defence Force and Public Curator,
- Ambassadors, High Commissioners and senior diplomatic officials,
- Personal staff of the Governor-General, Ministers, the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition,
- CEOs of registered political parties.
How do you lodge a complaint?
Anybody who is concerned about the actions of a Leader may lodge a written complaint to the Ombudsman Commission. A complainant must:
- Identify the Leader being complained about,
- Outline the complaint against the Leader (specify dates and relevant people),
- Include copies of letters or any other documentation relevant to the complaint.
What happens to your complaint?
Once a Leadership complaint is identified it is referred to the Leadership Division for investigation. Leadership investigations are confidential; a complainant will not be advised of the progress or outcome of an investigation.
Once an investigation is complete, if the Commission finds enough evidence that the Leadership Code has been breached the Leader is referred to the Public Prosecutor, with a recommendation that the matter go to a Leadership Tribunal.
The Commission can be contacted in writing, via telephone or at one of the Commission Offices. All written complaints should be addressed to “Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea”.