Former ASIO boss finds Home Affairs failed to conduct adequate due diligence when issuing contracts that led to public money being paid to suspected criminals and corrupt officials.
Paladin majority owner Craig Thrupp defended the transfers which are under investigation by the anti-corruption watchdog.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs oversaw the payment of millions of taxpayer dollars to powerful Pacific Island politicians through a chain of suspect contracts.
The chief secretary of the Papua New Guinea government,Sir Isaac Lupari,allegedly approached a director of controversial Australian immigration detention contractor Paladin for financial support,according to evidence provided to a Senate committee in Canberra.
Auditor-General gives Department of Home Affairs a tick for management of offshore detention but questions remain over whether taxpayers got a good deal.
Struggling to get PNG to grant visas for its workers,Australian contractor Paladin turned to two politically-connected firms to help it lobby ministers.
Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo was defiantly telling a parliamentary committee that his department had no bribery concerns when an email arrived to contradict him.
Staff at controversial company Paladin were threatened with detention and deportation over claims of a corrupt offer from an alleged PNG politician.
The company provided services on Manus Island for Home Affairs and faced huge controversy. Now a former director wants to talk.
Senior officials in Port Moresby have made frequent approaches to security company Paladin for a cut of cash it gets from Canberra for running detention centre.
The move comes a day after the PNG Prime Minister James Marape called for the controversial security company's contract to be terminated.