Below is the seventy-eighth* part of the serialized edited version of the National Provident Fund Commission of Inquiry Final Report that first appeared in the Post Courier newspaper in 2002/3.
NPF Final Report
This is the 78th* extract from the National Provident Fund (now known as NASFUND) Commission of Inquiry report. The inquiry was conducted by retired justice Tos Barnett and investigated widespread misuse of member funds. The report recommended action be taken against several high-profile leaders, including former NPF chairman Jimmy Maladina. The report was tabled in Parliament on November 20 by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.
Executive Summary Schedule 9 Continued
Their failure to ensure this was a breach of their fiduciary duty to the members of the fund. The successive managing directors, as trustees and as managers, were in breach of the same duty in allowing such lax and inappropriate procedures to be followed.
Procurement And Disposal Of Property And Property Management Services Property disposal
Many of NPF’s “lesser” properties were sold during 1998 and 1999 as part of NPF’s asset disposal strategy.
The sales have been examined by the commission and found to be in order, with the one exception of Allotment 13 Section 73 Pipigari S Korobosea, which was sold to the Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (PNGTUC). The further investigation into this matter is dealt with at paragraph 3.6 below.
Property management services
Many irregularities have been discovered in management services contracts where proper tender procedures have not been followed and nepotism has clearly been occurring.
Long standing relationship with Century 21 Siule Real Estate (Century 21)
Since well prior to 1993, Century 21 was NPF’s sole agent, managing and marketing NPF’s various properties.
It is not known how this relationship developed, however, the commission is aware that Century 21 employed Noel Wright’s wife, Helen Copland.
In late 1997, as the NPF Tower neared completion, the question of marketing and managing it came up for consideration and this was clearly to be lucrative business for the chosen agent.
In August 1997, the exclusive marketing rights for the NPF Tower were granted to Century 21 as a matter of course, without following any form of competitive tender procedures. At the 114th NPF board meeting on September 1, 1998, Mr Fabila, supported by Mr Leahy, challenged that arrangement. Mr Wright’s failure to disclose his interest in Century 21, through the fact that his wife was employed there, formed part of the discussion.
In August/ September 1998, after obtaining legal opinion about the power to do so, Mr Fabila cancelled Century 21’s exclusive marketing rights over the Tower and called for competitive quotes from Graeme Dunnage and Associates, The Professionals, Port Moresby First National Real Estate (PMFNRE), L J Hooker and Century 21.
Mr Fabila also notified Century 21, in October 1998, of NPF’s intention to terminate Century 21’s contract for the exclusive management of all NPF’s properties and to call for tenders. This matter was not put before the NPF board and seems to have been an initiative of Mr Fabila and Mr Leahy.
Century 21 seems to have accepted the termination of its exclusive marketing and management contract, which took effect on 22nd December 1998 and then participated in the tendering process in January 1999 for a new contract.
The tenders
Advertisements, calling for tenders to manage all NPF’s properties as one contract, were published on January 15, 1999 with January 31, 1999 set as the closing date.
Tenders were called for the management of the following properties:
- The four blocks of units at Allotment 7 section 142, Tokarara;
- The NPF Head office Allotment 7 Section 58 Boroko;
- One house at Allotment 18 Section 34 Lawes Rd;
- One house at Allotment 26 Section 34 Ela Makana;
- Eight units at Allotment 26 Section 34 Ela Makana;
- Three units at Allotment 83 Section 51 Davetari Drive; and
- The warehouse at Allotment 16 Section 62 Gordons.
Tenders were received from Gemini Holdings Ltd, Haka Holdings Ltd and Century 21 within time.
Possible collusion between Mr Leahy and PMFNRE
A proposal from PMFNRE was also considered although initially neither NPF nor PMFNRE was able to produce under summons a formal tender document from PMFNRE.
In April 2001, PMFNRE later produced some correspondence between Mr Leahy and Mr Sullivan of PMFNRE, which indicates that Mr Leahy was providing information to assist Mr Sullivan to prepare a tender in January 1999.
One of the documents he provided to Mr Sullivan was a list of NPF’s property portfolio, as follows:
The papers included a document purporting to be a tender which contained promotional material about PMFNRE and a one page sheet listing the quoted fees as “6 per cent of the total monies paid”.
It acknowledged that tenders for the Tower were not then being called for but expressed an interest in tendering for that contract when it came up. The PMFNRE unsigned and undated document entitled “Tender for NPF Property Management” cannot be seriously treated as a formal tender but it seems that it was accepted by NPF as such.
Mr Leahy intervenes in the tender process
After the tenders from Gemini, Haka and Century 21 were received and, possibly, the PMFNRE “tender” also, Mr Fabila left PNG for a short period. While he was away, and before any formal decision had been made to accept the best tender, Mr Leahy communicated with Haka, Gemini and PMFNRE. He advised Haka and Gemini that each had been accepted to manage a few of the properties for which they had tendered and asked them to again list the services they would supply and to, again, quote their fees.
As a result each restated the services and quoted substantially higher fees than previously (perhaps because the property portfolio to be managed was smaller). Haka complained bitterly at the limited portfolio it had been granted, and this was subsequently increased.
Mr Leahy grants management of the Tower to PMFNRE
On February 11, Mr Leahy also wrote to PMFNRE advising that it had been awarded:
- Section 34: Allotment 26 Granville — 8 units;
- Section 62: Allotment 16 Gordons — 1 x Archives shed; and
- Section 5: Allotment 11 Granville — (The Tower)
The letter requested PMFNRE to provide a description of the scope of the service as well as a quotation of their fees.
Mr Leahy’s intervention in the competitive tender process changed it to that of non-competitive negotiated contracts with the three successful applicants.
Mr Fabila negotiates with the successful tenderers
On February 26, 1999, Mr Fabila formally notified Gemini of the list of properties it had been awarded at the higher fee, though he negotiated the fee down slightly. On the same date, Haka was similarly notified, but because of its complaints that the portfolio awarded by Mr Leahy on February 11 was too small, it was also awarded the management of the Ela Makana units (which were taken back from PMFNRE).
Also on the same day, Mr Fabila also confirmed the good news to PMFNRE that it had won the management contract for the NPF Tower, which had not even been on the list of properties for which tenders were called.
Finally, on February 26, 1999, Mr Fabila also notified Century 21 that its tender bid had been unsuccessful. Because of the way NPF handled this matter, the handover arrangements from Century 21 to the successful tenderers, were messy and unprofessional.
There is no evidence that the various tenders were ever comparatively analysed to choose the best tender.
On the face of the documents, it seems that Century 21’s tender was probably the best, considering its experience, prior successful service and fees quoted.
Findings
(a) The termination of Century 21’s exclusive property management agreement with NPF was a management decision Mr Fabila made without the authority of the NPF board;
(b) The exclusive property management contract for all NPF properties (other than the NPF Tower) was put out to tender. The lowest and best tender was that of Century 21;
(c) Mr Leahy acted improperly by contacting each of the three companies (Gemini, Haka and PMFNRE) while the tender procedure was in progress, asking them to specify a job profile and to quote a price to manage a portion of the properties originally put out to tender. This resulted in NPF paying a higher price than the tenders initially received;
(d) The Century 21 tender was rejected by management without proper analysis of the competing tenders;
(e) The appointment of Gemini, Haka and PMFNRE as management agents for NPF properties (shared between them) was not arranged under any proper or approved tenders procedures, but was the result of non-competitive contract negotiation;
(f) The awarding of property management contracts to Haka, Gemini and PMFNRE was a management decision made without board authority or approval; and
(g) Mr Fabila negotiated directly with each of the tenderers to agree upon a lower price than quoted.
Management agreement for the NPF Tower
The agreement was between PMFNRE as agent and the Tower Ltd as owner. The directors of the Tower Ltd, appointed by the NPF board on February 8, 1999, were Henry Fabila (chairman), Jimmy Maladina and and Herman Leahy (also secretary) although NPF was sole shareholder, its approval was not legally required for the terms of the management agreement, which was signed by Mr Leahy and Mr Fabila.
As these three persons were all involved in schemes to defraud the NPF at the time, it is not surprising that the terms of the management agreement were very generous to PMFNRE at the expense, of course, of the members of the fund. This generosity was built in by:
(a) Providing a 5 per cent commission, not only on rent paid, but also on rent plus the tenants outgoings paid;
(b) Providing for a minimum commission in the early days, when the occupancy rate would still be low, of K199,999.92 or 5 per cent of gross rentals, whichever was the greater; and
(c) The termination clause provided that PMFNRE would be entitled to its full commission for the whole of the three-year term unless the agent had breached a fundamental term of the agreement.
False report to the NPF Board
In his report to the NPF board at its meeting on April 20, 1999, Mr Leahy pointed out the important details of the contract as:
“(i) Three-year term; and;
(ii) Fee = 5 per cent of the gross monies collected from tenants; and
(iii) Subject to board approval”.
Mr Leahy failed to point out that:
(a) In the early years when the rental income would be low because the building would be only partly tenanted, the commission would be a guaranteed minimum of K199,999.92 per annum.
(b) In the event of wrongful termination, the agent would be entitled, not just to damages, but to the whole of the management fees for the rest of the term; and
(c) As the contract had already been executed on March 23, 1999, it was too late to make it subject to NPF board approval.
Sub paragraph (a) and (b) above amounted to a misrepresentation to the board. Sub paragraph (c) was simply false.
The commission views all these arrangements with suspicion because of its findings in relation to the NPF Tower fraud and the Waigani Land deal in which the same characters were involved in either the fraud itself or the subsequent laundering of the money — Mr Maladina, Mr Leahy, Mr Fabila, Mr Barker, Mr Sullivan and PMFNRE.
Findings
(a) The management contract between the Tower Pty Ltd and PMFNRE was negotiated directly by Mr Fabila, Mr Maladina and Mr Leahy as directors of the Tower Ltd and the management of PMFNRE;
(b) The awarding of contracts in this way justifies the commission’s suspicion of nepotism, because:
- MR Maladina and Mr O’Neill have direct interests in PMFNRE and used PMFNRE as a vehicle to defraud the NPF regarding the NPF Tower and Waigani Land, NPF Tower Investigations and, Waigani Land);
- THE property management contract between PMFNRE and the Tower Ltd (signed for the Tower Ltd by Mr Maladina and Mr Leahy), was excessively favourable to PMFNRE.
- MR Leahy provided false information to the NPF board regarding the property management contract, which understated the benefits payable to PMFNRE under the contract.
Sale Of The Non-Core Properties Using Multiple Agents
In July 1999, NPF resolved to sell off all non-core properties and part of the NPF Tower. This was in accordance with the PwC report on NPF’s losses. It was decided to use multiple agents and the existing exclusive managing agents accepted this.
NPF Board Challenges Management Over Tender Procedures
In October 1999, the NPF board, led by trustee Jeffery and acting managing director Rod Mitchell, challenged Mr Maladina and Mr Leahy over a number of issues, including failure to follow tender procedures and nepotism. This led to the termination of Mr Maladina and Mr Leahy.
Findings
(a) The decision to enter into one-year and (for the Tower) three- year management contract for the properties in early 1999, when NPF was considering selling those properties was inappropriate and could have resulted in NPF facing a claim for damages in breach of contract.
(b) The questions posed by Mr Jeffery and Mr Mitchell regarding the failure to follow proper tender procedure when awarding property management contracts were valid questions which required answering.; and
(c) Mr Leahy’s responses to the questions were false and evasive.
Sale of NPF Property to PNGTUC
Expression Of interest by Mr Paska
NPF built a three-bedroom house on its land at Allotment 13 Section 73 Pipigari St, Boroko. As construction of the house was nearing completion in September 1995, it was recorded that trustee John Paska was interested in purchasing the property. Mr Paska was the general secretary of the PNGTUC and was one of three people appointed to the NPF board as a representative for employees on the NPF board.
Under the law of Trusts, it would be a serious breach of trust for a trustee to buy Trust property but this did not occur to anyone, not even the fund’s corporate secretary and legal counsel Herman Leahy, who should have advised Mr Paska and the NPF against this proposed purchase. In fact, Mr Leahy took very improper action to facilitate the sale to Mr Paska, as described below.
Mr Paska wrote to Mr Leahy in September 1995 expressing his interest to buy the property and advising that he had received legal advice that his conflict of interest would not be an impediment to the sale. His offer of K96,000 had been worked out in conjunction with Mr Leahy based on the cost of land and of constructing the house thereon. He wrote again in November saying he was prepared to pay the (higher) valuation placed on the property by the bank, which was financing him and would seek Ombudsman Commission approval.
TO BE CONTINUED
* PART 77 is missing and has not been published in this series
