Transparency and governance in Papua New Guinea
A brief guide to corruption, a key issue in Papua New Guinea.
Corruption is a key issue in PNG, especially in the public sector. PNG ranked 142nd out of 182 countries in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perception Index. PNG scored 26 out of 100 on the index, below the global average of 42 and the worst of any country in the Pacific.
Transparency International has stated that a report by the Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea released in 2018 recorded 115 allegations of corruption against different members of Parliament since independence in 1975.
The allegations range from the allocation of funds to private accounts and to unidentifiable, unregistered and non-existent groups. In addition, allegations included the allocation of funds without proper procedures.
PNG’s Prime Minister, James Marape, said in 2019 that the country had lost billions of kina in government revenue because of corruption.
In February 2026, the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) added PNG to its ‘grey list’ after finding that the country lacked the ability and willingness to detect, prosecute and punish money laundering and terrorism financing effectively.
PNG’s 23-agency National Coordinating Committee on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing now has the task of addressing the FATF’s seven-point action plan to get off the list before its next mutual evaluation, due at the end of this decade.
Institutions
While the Ombudsman Commission and Leadership Tribunal are two institutions that have a role to play in the fight against corruption, there is broad appreciation that more needs to be done.
Transparency International PNG encourages the reporting of corruption and runs awareness campaigns, while a Business Coalition Against Corruption has been established over several years.
Papua New Guinea Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PNG EITI) has led to improved reporting of revenues in PNG’s resources sector.
In 2020, PNG’s Parliament unanimously passed a Bill to establish an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The three inaugural commissioners were sworn in by the Governor-General in July 2023, enabling the ICAC to commence operations.
