Papua New Guinea Struggling to Dispose of Controversial Maserati Fleet

The acquisition in 2018 included forty Maserati Quattroporte sedans, for which a hefty sum of 20 million kina, approximately $6 million USD at the time, was expended. Additionally, three Bentley Flying Spurs were part of the vehicle inventory. These cars were flown into the island nation on chartered Boeing 747s, with the government confidently expecting a rapid sell-off to private buyers following the two-day affair. 

However, this anticipated swift sale did not materialize. As per subsequent reports, the vehicles did not fly off the shelves as APEC Minister Justin Tkatchenko had initially claimed. Merely a Maserati and Bentley each were sold, with an additional Bentley presented to the Governor-General by the PNG government. Local officials attributed the issue to mishandling of the tender proceedings. Tkatchenko mentioned that the received bids were deemed “too paltry and unjustifiable” due to the absence of a specified minimum price for the sales.

Resistance to the vehicle procurement was significant from the start. Both citizens and opposition MPs contended that attempting to peddle over 40 luxury cars to the populace of a financially struggling nation was undoubtedly a futile endeavor. 

Further, the notion of squandering millions on a two-day conference in a country grappling with critical challenges in infrastructure and healthcare was widely disapproved. Paul Barker, the executive director of the PNG Institute of National Affairs, encapsulated the resentment and disappointment directed towards the authorities. Barker criticized the purchase as indicative of a glaring lack of foresight and a distressing willingness to misuse public funds in a developing nation where essential public services, from road access to healthcare, are either severely lacking or in dismal condition,” Barker stated.

The current finance minister, John Pundari, has declared that the vehicles will now be offered for sale at the price of 400,000 kina, approximately $113,000 USD. This discount is modest considering these are pre-owned vehicles that have been stationary in storage for almost three years. For comparison, a 2018 Maserati Quattroporte with less than 20,000 miles can be acquired from nearby Australia for under $100,000 USD. Pundari labeled the initial purchase as a “regrettable error,” emphasizing that “had we exercised prudence, the Maseratis would never have been procured in the first place.”

This wasn’t the sole vehicular debacle of the APEC summit: 284 borrowed vehicles, ranging from Toyota Land Cruisers to Mitsubishi Pajeros, went missing in the aftermath of the event. Recently, a seven-day ultimatum was issued demanding the return of the fleet, but none were relinquished by the deadline of September 16. As of October 4, 2021, approximately 102 of these vehicles were still under unauthorized possession, as per Asia Pacific Report.

Luxury automobiles in small Pacific nations sometimes meet unfortunate ends; instances of mass vehicular destruction have been witnessed. Nonetheless, if you happen to have 400,000 kina to spare, reach out to the finance minister and express your interest in a sleek black Maserati. It may not navigate the terrains beyond downtown Port Moresby with ease, but in case you find yourself stuck in mud, do share a cheerful snapshot of your predicament. 

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