Explosive Corruption Allegations Rock Pacific Nation
Nauru's current President David Adeang and his predecessor Lionel Aingimea have been accused of serious corruption involving millions of dollars of Australian taxpayer money. The shocking allegations were made in the Australian Senate, where Greens Senator David Shoebridge revealed previously unreported documents from Australia's financial intelligence agency, Austrac.
Secret Austrac Report Reveals Suspicious Transactions
Senator Shoebridge read sections of the confidential Austrac report into the parliamentary record on Tuesday night, detailing what the agency described as "corruption and money laundering" suspicions. The report highlighted a "rapid movement of large volume and value of funds" connected to both President Adeang and former president Aingimea.
The financial intelligence identified suspicious transactions totalling over $2 million in combined credits and over $1 million in combined debits occurring between January and September 2020. The activity involved President Adeang, then-president Aingimea, his wife Ingrid Aingimea, and his brother David Aingimea.
Offshore Processing Contracts Under Scrutiny
The Austrac report specifically linked suspicious payments to a company called 1402 LRC Car Rentals and Construction, which was associated with Aingimea's wife. This company held subcontracts with Brisbane firm Canstruct International, which was contracted by the Australian government to run Australia's controversial offshore processing regime on Nauru.
According to the financial intelligence, Adeang received 15 Osko payments from the Aingimea-linked company totalling $113,797, along with 462 building and construction transactions worth $248,888. The report also noted 140 ATM withdrawals totalling $68,840 and additional branch withdrawals.
Government Faces Questions Over $2.5bn Deal
Senator Shoebridge accused the Albanese government of signing a $2.5 billion agreement with President Adeang to deport more than 350 people to Nauru despite knowing about the corruption suspicions. "The Australian government has, at all times, known that the current Nauruan president and key members of his government are seriously corrupt, and they still signed a $2.5bn deal with him," Shoebridge told the Senate.
The allegations come just weeks after Adeang visited Canberra for meetings with senior Australian government ministers, including the foreign and home affairs ministers.
A spokesperson for the home affairs minister responded that "The government takes advice from our security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies, not from the Greens political party."
The Australian government has maintained secrecy around its dealings with Nauru, refusing to reveal details of the $2.5bn resettlement agreement or its current offshore processing contract worth nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars with a US private prisons operator.
