Life is a Journey of Learning: 29 January 2019 Case Dismissed: Reflections on My Time at the PNG University of Technology

29 January 2019 Case Dismissed: Reflections on My Time at the PNG University of Technology

Today I learned that the "false pretence" case against me was dismissed in September for lack of evidence. I have mixed feelings about the news.

I'm glad the public now knows what my family and I knew all along. But I'm still left in a difficult position. After being falsely accused, undergone various attempts to dismiss me wrongfully, arrested and detained, I've had no real chance to clear my name in a full hearing.

The case was dismissed because no evidence was ever presented. I believe this shows the accusations were politically motivated. They were meant to harm me, and financially they did.

"Case dismissed" is clear. Six years after the first accusations were made, no evidence was ever produced, and the court was right not to spend more time on the matter.

Falsely Accused

Because of these false accusations and worsening work environment, I lost the last two years of my second term as Vice Chancellor. I had planned to use that time to finish transforming the PNG University of Technology (UNITECH) into a learning community built on core academic values. I believe the opposition came mostly from people who wanted to protect their own positions and privileges.

[Image: Today's article in Loop PNG]

This has happened before. In 2013, an official investigation led by the late Mark Sevua, a former Supreme Court judge, cleared me of all accusations. Apologies were made, and I returned as Vice Chancellor in April 2014. So the dismissal should come as no surprise. Disappointingly, the "false pretence" accusation brought in 2018 used almost the same wording as the one filed in 2012, which had kept me out of the country for 14 months.

[Image: Reporting on the results of the Sevua investigation]

[Image: My return on 4 April 2014 after being cleared of all charges]

The accusations against me were baseless. Sadly, my experience shows that in Papua New Guinea, unfounded complaints can lead to arrest and prosecution without proper checks on the evidence.

A false claim doesn't become true just because people keep repeating it. Even so, some Council members continued to believe "there must be some truth in it," despite clear evidence to the contrary.

On 22 May 2018, a National Court judge ruled that the police had not produced any primary evidence to justify my arrest. He noted there was overwhelming evidence that I hold a doctoral degree. This includes the official record of my PhD thesis defence and my book published by Cambridge University Press, the oldest and largest university press in the world. These sources can easily be checked.

In his judgment, the judge wrote: "In spite of this overwhelming evidence (presented by Dr. Schram) Mr. Saulep continues to dispute the authenticity of the applicant's doctorate degree. I find this ridiculous and difficult to fathom especially when neither he or the police are in receipt of evidence from the European University Institute in Florence Italy, confirming their allegations and suspicions." He continued: "The current charge, with respect, lacks the primary evidence to prove the elements of falsity. Whether they will have such evidence by the 12th of June 2018 (the next hearing) is anyone's guess. The reality is that they have failed to do so when the allegations were raised in 2012."

Notably, neither the Council nor its lawyers ever contacted the European University Institute in Florence, whose working language is English. A single email or phone call would have settled the question.

In June 2018, the judge granted me bail, which offered a way out of the deadlock. After weeks of being unable to leave the country, I have never been so relieved to land in Singapore.

Proving My Innocence Anyway

Under the rule of law, a person is innocent until proven guilty, so I had no obligation to prove my innocence. I chose to do it anyway and paid for it myself. Unfortunately, administrative obstacles in PNG stopped this effort from reaching the court.

[Image: Visiting the European University Institute on 10 July 2018 to legalise my doctorate]

Back in Europe, I travelled to the European University Institute in Florence, which awarded my doctorate. The Institute started the legalisation process. Because PNG has not signed the international Apostille Convention, the PNG Embassy in Brussels had to forward the document to the court. I travelled about 1,000 km to Brussels and was promised this would be done. Unfortunately, the document never reached the court.

[Image: Visiting the PNG Embassy in Brussels on 20 July 2018 to arrange for documents to be sent. They never arrived.]

The Rule of Law in PNG

I believe Papua New Guinea needs to invest in rule-based, democratic and inclusive institutions, including its universities. Today the government is trying to control the universities directly. I think that approach will fail in the long run, and meanwhile it is doing serious damage to institutions that are vital to PNG's democracy.

For now, I don't have the time or money to return to PNG and hire another lawyer to lift my bail conditions. When no evidence was ever presented to justify an arrest, those conditions should be removed automatically.

These events have cost me a great deal. In 2013, while I was forced to live in Australia, I spent most of a small inheritance. In 2017, I lost the back pay I had been owed. The Council withheld half of it, and the other half went on legal and hotel costs while I was unable to leave Port Moresby on a tourist visa.

After I was sidelined in November 2017, governance problems at the university came back. Senior staff kept receiving a 15% travel allowance that was found to be unlawful in December 2017. An external consultant had found that I was "grossly underpaid" and owed significant back pay. The calculation was finally done in December 2017. The Council paid only half, which I accepted. Things changed when the Council's lawyers revived the 2012 accusations.

It saddens me to see six years of work to restore UNITECH's national and international reputation undone. I expect support from partners in Australia, New Zealand and India to decline. The university's internationalisation has stalled. We had attracted visiting lecturers from India, Australia and Europe, and I fear that will stop. I'm also concerned that recruiting qualified academics will get harder, because few will apply where unfounded accusations are taken at face value.

We worked hard to put UNITECH on a positive course, and it is disappointing to see that progress lost. One former Council member told me privately: "Albert, there was nothing we could do to stop it. It was all orchestrated in Waigani" (the seat of national government).

Why Did This Happen?

In my view, both outside and inside pressures were at work. Outside the university, I believe the main complainant, Ralph Saulep, had long hoped to become Chancellor. When he appeared on a newspaper front page in March 2014, students burned copies in protest.

I had also opposed attempts by Chinese contractors to bypass the Council-approved campus development process set out in the Masterplan. I believe this displeased some people in government.

Inside the university, I believe some senior staff saw my removal as being in their own interest. Many other staff went along out of caution, or because they knew I wanted to end the 15% travel allowance. There was also strong resistance to restructuring. Some employees whom the internal audit unit had found responsible for theft were reinstated by the Council. The travel allowance, which I always opposed, was found unlawful in December 2017 but was still being paid more than a year later.

In short, I believe the university has gone back to the serious governance and financial-management problems that existed before my tenure. Governance problems in PNG's public institutions have also drawn international attention. On 13 February 2021, the Guardian reported on a Singapore High Court ruling. The court ordered Rex Paki, a government-appointed board member of the PNG Sustainable Development Program, to repay US$6.6 million in improper payments linked to the discounted sale of a forestry company. His relations with unsavoury characters with links to organized crime and even international terrorism are described. The article in the Guardian does not mention that Mr. Paki was a member of UNITECH commercial arm and as such had embezzled monies destined to build retirment houses for staff for over $1 million. It tooks us almost 3 years to get rid of him, but finally we succeeded. He did untold damage to the university and its long-serving staff.

Meanwhile, the university still has no Vice Chancellor or Student Representative Council. Day-to-day operations and teaching are also at risk: the student dining hall has been taken down, and the satellite internet bill has gone unpaid for months.

On 8 June 2016, police fired live rounds at students protesting peacefully on the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) campus. Since then, many people seem afraid to speak out. It has never been made clear who gave the order or who sent these officers from the Highlands to Port Moresby.

Moving On with Gratitude

Many readers have asked how we are doing. I have moved on, and I feel relieved to have put this chapter behind me. I was especially disappointed that most former colleagues never contacted me again after the accusations, though a few did, and I'm grateful to them.

I'm sad that we can't easily see the many good friends we made over six years among the people of Papua New Guinea. I would only return if all charges were formally withdrawn and my family's costs and losses were repaid.

We now live in Verona with my 88-year-old mother, whose health suffered from the stress last year. In 2015, we hosted a UNITECH student studying in Europe. He was struck by how peaceful the area is and how friendly the people are.

My wife teaches English at a leading secondary school. I teach management and history as a professor with the University of Maryland Global Campus (formerly University of Maryland University College), at US Army bases in Northern Italy.

My credentials and work history were thoroughly checked before I was hired. I also completed extensive training in the university's systems and teaching methods. World Education Services has evaluated my doctorate for use in the United States and can send a copy to any institution on request.

[Image: World Education Services credential evaluation]

[Image: First paragraph of my contract with the University of Maryland University College (personal details redacted)]

I'm grateful to have served the PNG University of Technology and its wonderful students, especially during the 2.5 years when the Council worked independently of political pressure.

I'm also grateful for the chance to teach at a world-class institution so soon after returning to Italy, and to learn online and hybrid teaching. My wife and I enjoy working with friendly, skilled and supportive colleagues and helping motivated students learn. We left Papua New Guinea with very little money, but we left safely. It could have turned out much better for the PNG University of Technology.

[Image: The spirit of 2014 faded after the student shooting on 8 June 2016]

Further Viewing and Reading

Videos (2016)

UPNG, 8 June 2016: Police fired live rounds at peacefully protesting students, wounding several. Fortunately, no one was killed. The university closed for the rest of 2016. http://bit.ly/3755pgX
UNITECH, 8 June 2016: I invited Metropolitan Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jr to speak with students on campus, which helped prevent a riot. Later, fighting broke out among students: one was seriously injured and one was killed. We reopened the university on 31 August 2016. EMTV, "UNITECH riot prevented": http://bit.ly/352oiiY

2021