Walter Schnaubelt is the man behind the illegal logging of southern New Ireland
Thirty years on from the Barnett Commission of Inquiry that exposed widespread corruption in the logging industry, the people of New Ireland are still falling victim to illegal logging operations set up without the informed consent of ordinary people.
Konoagil district, New Ireland
From New Hanover in the north right down to Lak in the south, New Ireland is awash with illegal logging operations, the latest being the so-called Konoagil Oil Palm Project, set up by Walter Schnaubelt, the intending National Alliance candidate for Namatanai.
According to the media reports on the project launch in April, the logging will cover an area of 120,000 hectares and will involve the establishment of 35,000 hectares of oil palm and an “international hospital and school, nurse training centre and banking facilities for the local people”.
However, ever since the project launch landowners have been raising their objections – even presenting a petition to the Forest Minister. The local people say there has been no proper awareness and consultation over the occupation of their land and destruction of their forests.
Forest Minister, Douglas Tomuriesa, has failed to investigate landholders claims the logging permits were bulldozed through his department
In July, Schnaubelt was on-hand as CEO of Konoagil Agri Development Ltd, one of the companies he has set up to orchestrate the project, to try and reassure locals and the media all proper processes have been followed – but the truth is the project has been bulldozed through every stage of the legal process by Schnaubelt and his lackeys.
It was Schnaubelt who was behind the incorporation of land groups in highly suspicious circumstances. Local people say some were even forced to complete and sign the registrations while clan boundaries were done in haste and no genealogy studies were ever completed. Proper verification of ILG formation process and issuing of certificates was never done by the Department of Lands.
Schnaubelt then used the ILG certificates to induce two Malaysian owned logging companies, Millionplus Corporation and Islands Forest to move into the area and start logging.
Landowners say they have never been given proper information on project impacts and benefits – including the terms and conditions on which KADL claims to hold 20% of the equity in the business on behalf of the landowners. The landowners say no documentation has ever been shared with them.
Tomorrow we will present the evidence of how Walter Schnaubelt has set up a string of companies to try and hide his involvement as the orchestrator of the whole logging scam. We will also present documentary evidence of how Schnaubelt bulldozed the project through the PNG Forest Authority without the consent of local landholders – and scandalous details on the finances of the Malaysian logging companies involved.
