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+--- Thread: Ipatas supports gov and O'Neill on UBS loan (/showthread.php?tid=6235)
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RE: Ipatas supports gov and O'Neill on UBS loan - ArtM72 - 03-25-2014
'sydbod' pid='39806' datel Wrote:Worth a read http://devpolicy.org/the-oil-search-loan-implications-for-png-20140321-2/
I didn't read this link all that closely but it certainly seemed it did a lot of arm waving about how this loan was done illegally. I saw nothing at all specifying exactly what parts of what regulations the loan violated. In my experience this is a tactic most often used by someone who has nothing other than an agenda of wanting to sway public opinion.
RE: Ipatas supports gov and O'Neill on UBS loan - ArtM72 - 03-25-2014
Reuters has an article out overnight stating this inquiry by the Ombudsman has no effect on the OSH deal:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/25/papua-oilsearch-debt-idUSL1N0MM08W20140325
RE: Ipatas supports gov and O'Neill on UBS loan - Stavros - 03-25-2014
Thanks for the Reuters link Art
RE: Ipatas supports gov and O'Neill on UBS loan - Palm - 03-25-2014
Just like the comments from Namah the devpolicy piece has big flaws in logic and accounting. Both Namah and the devpolicy piece assume that the loan to buy the OSH shares adds to the IPIC debt. WRONG! The IPIC debt was eliminated with the transfer of the OSH shares so there will be no PNG LNG proceeds going to pay off that debt. Those in Parliament who are yelling about this loan were all in favor of borrowing more money to try and buy back the OSH shares from IPIC. But now they are against this lower amount of debt to buy the OSH shares? Like O'Neill is saying, this is once again individuals trying to deceive the public for their own gain. And yes, the loan to buy the shares is secured by LNG revenues but the dividends that the government will receive from the 10.1% ownership of OSH likely will go a long way to paying off the debt to UBS.
They may need to review this and push it through more formal channels, but in the end this will be seen for what it is; politics as usual.
RE: Ipatas supports gov and O'Neill on UBS loan - jft310 - 03-25-2014
'ArtM72' pid='39817' dateline='<a href="tel:1395752 Wrote:Reuters has an article out overnight stating this inquiry by the Ombudsman has no effect on the OSH deal: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/25/papua-oilsearch-debt-idUSL1N0MM08W20140325
* Loan "frozen", no impact on completed Oil Search share deal
* Probe follows questions raised by sacked treasurer (Adds PNG commission, UBS, source comments)
(Reuters) - An independent commission is investigating whether the Papua New Guinea government broke its own rules in taking on a A$1.2 billion loan to buy a key stake in oil and gas producer Oil Search, a commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
PNG's Ombudsman Commission has frozen the loan while it investigates whether Prime Minister Peter O'Neill followed correct legal procedures in deciding to borrow the money, the commission said in a statement.
"The Ombudsman Commission is not asserting that there are irregularities involved nor does it want to interfere with any development initiatives of the National Government, but to ensure compliance with all the relevant laws," it said.
In February, O'Neill approved plans for the government to buy new shares in Oil Search, giving it just over a 10 percent stake for A$1.2 billion. That allowed the government to gain a new stake in Oil Search after it gave up a bigger holding to Abu Dhabi in a A$1.68 billion convertible bond deal.
The move to borrow $1.2 billion from UBS has come under fire from former treasurer Don Polye after he was dumped by O'Neill earlier in March. Polye has said the deal breached budget guidelines and was done without approval from parliament.
However, others familiar with the transaction said the government did nothing wrong.
"This is a significant political beat-up and not about commercial reality," a person close to the transaction told Reuters. He declined to be named due to political sensitivities in Papua New Guinea.
Oil Search sold the shares to the government to fund a $900 million acquisition of a stake in PNG's biggest undeveloped gas fields, the Elk and Antelope fields.
The probe will have no impact on the share sale or the gas field deal, which were completed in March.
The company declined to comment on the investigation as it had nothing to do with the loan PNG secured from UBS.
Ombudsman Commission officials were not available to comment on how long the investigation would take or what "freezing" the loan meant. UBS said the financing arrangements remain confidential and declined to comment on the probe.
Oil Search shares fell 0.2 percent to A$8.53 on Tuesday, in line with the broader market. (Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by David Gregorio and Himani Sarkar)