This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
On October 25, 2019, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape announced that he would receive a Bentley, courtesy of taxpayers, as part of the country's efforts to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
According to Finance Secretary Ken Ngangan, all 111 members of parliament will also receive luxury vehicles from the APEC fleet for their electoral duties.
The decision comes after around 300 vehicles bought for the summit 'disappeared' before being tracked down by police.
The previous government's purchase of the cars, including 40 Maserati Quattroporte supercars valued at over $150,000 each, caused outrage in the Pacific's poorest nation.
Ngangan stated that the new government had decided to keep some of the cars, with one of the three Bentleys purchased being made available for the office of the Prime Minister.
Hosting the 2018 APEC summit is estimated to have cost Papua New Guinea around US$135 million.
