Church Pastor arrested for Fraud in Port Moresby

On 8 April 2018 at Port Moresby NCD, Detectives from the National Fraud & Anti-Corruption Directorate arrested and charged a Pastor at PNG Christian Fellowship Inc for forgery and uttering. Pastor Michael Jack aged 43 of Koma village in the Mt Hagen Central District, Western Highlands Province with One count of Forgery and One count of Uttering.

Pastor Michael Jack also used other names such as: Paulus Kei, John Jason Paraka, and Jack Ruimb when dealing with different people. One of his identification documents shows he was of Afghanistan & PNG nationality.

It is alleged that on 9 March 2018, Pastor Jack had served an Eviction Order dated 21 February 2018 on the persons living on portion 3683, Granville (Gerehu) which is designated Urban Development Lease (UDL). Pastor Michael jack managed to get the title of the piece of land while there were list of other applicants still waiting for the approval of the Land Board with the publication in the National Gazette to be made. This prompted the genuine title holders to lay a complaint with the Lands Department.

As a result an investigation was conducted by the Lands Department into the issuance of the title and the eviction notice served. Investigation revealed that the piece of land in question was a residential 99 year lease title not applicable to UDL lease. There was no record of the existence of the title issued by the Department of the Lands held at the office of the Registrar of Titles. However, Pastor Michael Jack produced a fake state lease which bore the signature of the Minister for Land & Physical Planning, Hon. Justin Tkatchenco MP which was scanned.

Investigations conducted by the National Fraud & Ant-Corruption Directorate revealed that Pastor Michael Jack used this fake state lease to obtain an eviction order to evict the genuine 99 year residential title holders. He had also used that fake state lease to build a church on portion 3683 at Gerehu and had wanted to obtain more land when his dealing was exposed.

After the interview at the Gerehu Police Station was completed he was taken to Boroko Police Station where he was placed in the cells. He will appear in court on Wednesday 11 April 2018. Investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected to be made in this matter.

This is a first arrest made after a team of Detectives from NFACD starting investigations into the corruption in the Lands Department about three weeks ago. The NFACD Detectives are assisted by the Internal Fraud & Complaints Unit of the Department. More arrests will be made in the course of the coming months.