The Somare family and the K96m Woodlawn scam

The PNG government alleges K96m has been stolen from the public purse in a fraudulent share transfer overseen by former Public Enterprise Minister, Arthur Somare. But what has not yet been revealed is the money has been invested in a company that bears the same name as the school attended by Arthur’s brother, Sana. Further, Lismore, where the money is sitting in a Commonwealth Bank branch, is described by friends as “home turf for the Somare family”. It is also alleged the family has close personal ties to the bank staff at the branch at 86 Woodlark Street Lismore, which is just around the corner from the registered office of the investment company.

New Minister, Mekere Morauta, says the stolen K96m, or what now remains of it, is in a  bank account owned by an obscure Australian company, Woodlawn Capital Ltd.
Sana Somare was schooled at the exclusive St Johns College at Woodlawn near Lismore in northern New South Wales. St John’s is commonly referred to as Woodlawn college and bears the name Woodlawn on its school crest.

There is also another connection between the Somare’s and Woodlawn college. In 1992 Michael Somare and his wife attended the funeral in Lismore of Jack Reilly who worked in the PNG Department of Education and was headmaster of Port Moreby High School as well as being a teacher at Woodlawn college.
Morauta has described Woodlawn Capital as “a dubious investment company” involved in “a crooked Australian investment scheme”.

Woodlawn Capital is owned by Timothy Breen and Desmond McNamara, aged 72 (through his company Seahound Holdings).
The Directors of Woodlawn are Breen and Timothy McNamara. McNamara lives at the same address in Tower Street, Manly as Megan Cracknell, 41, who is the sole Director and and Company Secretary for Seahound Holdings (which was previously owned by Timothy McNamara).

Timothy McNamara is presumably Desmond’s son, the pair being aged 41 and 72 respectively and Timothy having previously shared the same residential address as Desmond at 6 Fuller street in Bulleen Victoria before moving to Sydney.

It is perhaps time the Australian police paid a visit to Breen, the McNamaras and Cracknell to ask them how K96m which should be paying for health and education services in rural PNG has, allegedly ended up in their hands…..

Citizens of PNG should also be demanding the Commonwealth Bank reveal if any other large amounts of PNG Kina have been deposited at their Lismore branch and whether any of the Somare family have personal accounts there with large unexplained balances.

PNGEXPOSED