PRIME MINISTER DUMPS HIS LAWYER TIFFANY TWIVEY Its been reported that Prime Minister Peter ONeill has dumped his lawyer Tiffany Twivey and engaged one of the countries most prominent and successful lawyers Greg Sheppard to handle his cases before the Courts. Its unclear why the PM has opted to let Ms Twivey go but political informants believe the decision was made in response to her emotion outbursts on social media. Many have raised concern her unprofessional conduct is an embarrassment to the high office she was acting for. Greg Sheppard will now take over as the PMs lawyer but will continue to brief out the Prime Ministers cases to Australian based lawyer Queens Council (QC) Mal Varitimos who was previously engaged by Tiffany Twiveys firm Twivey Lawyers to represent the PM. Greg Sheppard became the Managing Partner of Maladinas Lawyers in 1994, and continued in that role after the merger of Maladinas with Young & Williams Lawyers in 2004. He was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 1990. He is also admitted to the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of Queensland. He was admitted to practice in Papua New Guinea in 1990. He was a Principal in private practice in Kalgoorlie, West Australia for a number of years. Thereafter, he practiced as a Crown Prosecutor in Queensland, Australia. Greg is a very successful advocate and has appeared as Counsel before Courts and Administrative Tribunals at all levels in a variety of jurisdictions including Appellate Courts. He has acted for a number of prominent clients in Papua New Guinea, including Prime Ministers, Ministers of State and businessmen. He is experienced in negotiating, drawing and settling resource based corporate and commercial documentation. He has wide knowledge of public law and judicial review of administrative decisions. He is an expert in the technical and complex law relating to the pleading and trial of Election Petitions, and has acted in these matters subsequent to every National general election since 1992. He has appeared for clients in Leadership Tribunal hearings on many occasions. Greg acts as a Consultant when required, advising law firms in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji. He has been previously the Chairman Board of Governors Murray International School, Port Moresby and chairman Interim Board of Governors of Murray and Ela Beach International School, a Board member of the International Education Agency of Papua New Guinea, and a former member of the PNG Lands Board. Mal Varitimos has considerable experience and expertise in a diverse range of matters throughout the Asia-Pacific Region. He has been retained to advise in relation to matters in eight countries in the Asia-Pacific Region and has appeared in several of these countries, including for Prime Ministers, Deputy Prime Ministers and multinational corporations. Mal has also appeared for individuals and corporations aggrieved by ministerial and other decisions. He has extensive experience appearing in major Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry in the Asia-Pacific Region including: Commission of Inquiry into the Engagement of Sandline International Commission of Inquiry into Transparency in Government Dealings and Accountability of Public Office Holders Commission of Inquiry into National Provident Fund in Papua New Guinea Commission of Inquiry into the Conduct Generally of the Privatisation Commission and Matters Relating to the Privatisation of Finance Pacific Limited and the Sale of the Papua New Guinea Banking Corporation Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Sinking of the Princess Ashika Commission of Inquiry into the Sinking of the Rabaul Queen. The twist to this story is that in 2012 it was reported that the PM was allegedly behind efforts to deport Greg Sheppard. At the time Sheppard was representing Belden Namah PNG Party prosecuting a number of election petitions against PNC candidates. An article that ran in the National on December. 18, 2012 stated: There is no deportation order to remove prominent lawyer Greg Sheppard from Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said yesterday. However, he said he was aware that there was a search warrant and an investigation under way into the management and disbursement of tens of millions of kina in a trust fund held by Sheppard’s Young and Williams Lawyers. The prime minister said Sheppard had a fiduciary duty to reconcile for some K100 million [US$47.9 million] with which he was entrusted. He said so far no report of any kind had been forthcoming and until that happened, investigations would continue. In response Sheppard yesterday said: I know there is no deportation order but they tried to deport me nonetheless. He produced a copy of a letter purportedly written by Chief Migration Officer Mataio Rabura on Nov 18, instructing all airlines flying into PNG to ban uplifting into PNG of Greg James Sheppard. The letter reads in part: This serves to advise all international operating airlines that Mr. Gregory James Sheppard, an Australian national, is banned from entering PNG and that he is not to be uplifted into the country. No reason was given for the advice. Sheppard said that his firm had received K50 million [US$23.9 million] as lawyers for a trust account held under the name Inclusive Education for National Development for Community Trust. I couldn’t agree more with him (prime minister). If such a serious step as deportation is intended, the basis of the deportation should be known and stated with certainty. If there is an investigation into my trust account, I should be here in PNG to assist with that investigation and answer any questions that may arise, not deported without due process out of the jurisdiction. I do not know of any investigation into my trust account. This trust account, which incidentally is professionally managed by a certified practicing accountant and audited every year under the Lawyers Act, is also audited and cleared by an international auditing firm. I have not received any complaint into my trust account, and the government itself has never made any request for information. Until very recently the only correspondence I received concerning this fund was from an adviser named Dominic Diya in the Prime Minister’s Office who demanded large payments to himself from the fund. Greg Sheppard said details of every transaction was available and would be made available when an authorized request was made for it. end// I guess only in PNG......
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 02:30:05 +0000
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