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THE OMBUDSMAN COMMISSION CORRECTS

THE MISREPORTING BY PNG ONLINE NEWS ON 24 NOVEMBER 2025 ON THE APPOINTMENT OF SIMON BOLE AS ACTING CHIEF OMBUDSMAN

While the Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea welcomes the appointment of Mr Simon Bole as the Acting Ombudsman following his appointment by the Ombudsman Appointments Committee (OAC) effective on and from 21 November 2025, it wishes to also correct the misinformation that was published by PNG Online News on the 24 November 2025.

Acting appointment

Section 11(a) of the Organic Law on the Ombudsman Commission (OLOC) allows for acting appointments to the position of an Ombudsman. It states:

A person suitably qualified may be appointed to be an acting Chief Ombudsman or an Ombudsman to fill temporary a vacancy.

With the recent amendment to its laws in 2023, the OAC is required to consider any vacancy, either short-term from absence of duty or long-term due to expiry of a term,  within 3 months and makes its recommendation to the Head of State, the Governor-General, for an acting appointment 

In the case of the Members of the Commission, when Mr. Kevin Kepore’s term expired in October 2024, he was appointed to act and remained acting for more than 12 months and this is against the spirit of Section 11A of the Organic Law on the Ombudsman Commission as amended.

Mr Simon Bole has been appointed as Acting Ombudsman AND NOT as the Acting Chief Ombudsman as the PNG Online News publishes it to be, and this is a total misinformation.

Mr. Bole joined the Ombudsman Commission on 2 January 2024 as the Director of the Regions & External Relations Division within the Ombudsman Commission on a three year contract until his acting appointment as Ombudsman, Accounting, in accordance with Section 217(1)(2) of the Constitution.

The appointing authority is the Head of State, acting with, and in accordance with, the advice of the Ombudsman Appointments Committee (OAC) as established under Section 217(2) of the Constitution.  The Committee consists of:

  • the Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairman;
  • the Chief Justice;
  • the Leader of the Opposition;
  • the Chairman of the appropriate Permanent Parliamentary Committee (or if the Chairman is not a member of Parliament who is recognized by the Parliament as being generally committed to support the Government in the Parliament, the Deputy Chairman of that Committee; and
  • the Chairman of the Public Services Commission

In the case of the appointment of Mr. Bole as Acting Ombudsman, the Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea was nominated as the Chairman while the Prime Minister excused himself from deliberating on Mr. Bole’s appointment.

The OAC had engaged the services of a very reputable Recruitment Agency which no doubt provided the best support and assistance to the Ombudsman Appointments Committee for such an appointment.

The position which Mr. Bole occupies is provided by Section 4(2) of the Organic Law on the Ombudsman Commission which states that:-

One of the Ombudsmen shall have such professional accountancy qualifications and experience as, in the opinion of the Committee, is appropriate.

In deliberating on the acting appointment, the potential candidate’s professional qualifications in accountancy, his length and professional experience are all taken into account.

What type of organizations has the candidate worked with? His management positions in any of those organisations? Has the candidate’s experience exposed him to investigation work? In making the decision the OAC would have considered the applicant’s experience including constitutional laws, how the government system works and how politics operates.

Having considered and determined the criteria in regard to the candidate’s professional qualifications and experience, the OAC appointed Mr. Bole because of his vast experience and standing in the community and the public sector and the Ombudsman Commission thanks the OAC for the appointment.

Approved by Chief Ombudsman Richard Pagen

 
       

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