Unearthing stories that matters |
The Panguna mine made a fortune but left war and pollution in its wake. A new lawsuit backed by anonymous investors is now seeking billions in compensation – and raising concerns about who stands to benefit. by Aubrey Belford (OCCRP) High in the forested mountains of Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville…
By Ronald F. Toito’ona It has been touted as a life-saving health facility. News of its construction brought hope and excitement to the constituents of East Malaita. But six years on, the proposed SBD$40 million mini-hospital project stands incomplete, and is becoming an eye-sore for the people of Malaita’s eastern region.…
By Ronald F. Toito’ona For villagers in the eastern region of Malaita, the province’s East Road holds significant importance to them. Although it’s just a gravelled-road, it is perhaps the most notable infrastructure the British colonial government left behind in East Malaita before their exit in 1978 when Solomon Islands…
By Charley Piringi, Gina Maka’a, and Ofani Eremae For his constituents in Guadalcanal’s remote Weather Coast, the new road promised by Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification Bradley Tovosia could have been life-changing. But there’s one big problem: it’s headed the wrong way. First announced by Tovosia in 2021,…
The prime minister of the Pacific Island nation has recently gone on a home-building spree, constructing eight valuable new houses in and around the capital city of Honiara. KEY FINDINGS: by Aubrey Belford (OCCRP), Dan McGarry (OCCRP), Ofani Eremae (In-Depth Solomons), Charley Piringi (In-Depth Solomons), Gina Maka’a (In-Depth Solomons), and Ronald…
Prominent Fiji-based businessman Zhao Fugang is a trusted advocate for China’s interests in the Pacific. But Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies suspect he plays another part: as a senior organized crime leader. Fugang has not been charged with any crime. By OCCRP KEY POINTS: From his perch at the…
By Ronald Toito’ona & Charley Piringi Police claimed they’ve destroyed a small amount of drugs seized during raids they’ve executed on three business establishments in east Honiara late last year. “The drugs were destroyed last Saturday,” Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau assured journalists today. His assurance came after head of the…
by OCCRP and Inside PNG A China-born businesswoman accused of taking part in an audacious plot to fly a light plane packed with drugs from Papua New Guinea to Australia allegedly ordered a co-conspirator to pay into a bank account in the name of PNG’s former migration chief in order…
by Julie Badui Owa (Inside PNG), Carmel Pilotti (OCCRP), Kila Wani (Inside PNG), Dan McGarry (OCCRP), and Aubrey Belford (OCCRP), 26 January 2024 Mei Lin is a prominent member of Papua New Guinea’s business community, with ties to influential locals. She’s also allegedly a key player in an audacious drug trafficking…
