PORT MORESBY – Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has promised to give a formal interview to police over corruption allegations, but only if a court grants an injunction on a warrant for his arrest.

O’Neill was issued with an arrest warrant on June 16 after the country’s anti-corruption agency, Taskforce Sweep, accused him of authorising fraudulent government payments to local law firm Paraka Lawyers.

O’Neill has denied any wrongdoing and obtained a court order preventing his arrest.

At a court hearing in Port Moresby on Friday, Justice Ere Kariko was expected to make a ruling on whether to stay the arrest warrant but instead decided to defer his decision until July 1.

For the fourth time in as many sittings, the police department changed its lawyer, with the latter three arguing against the original police efforts to arrest the prime minister.

“This is the police challenging its own actions,” said Justice Kariko, who has at times appeared frustrated by the repeated requests for adjournments and switching of lawyers.

The latest representative for the PNG police is Queensland-based Mal Varitimos QC.

Varitimos submitted an affidavit from O’Neill saying the prime minister would give police a formal interview if the possibility for arrest was removed.

During the proceedings, counsel for O’Neill told the court “rogue officers” may disobey Acting Police Commissioner Geoffrey Vaki’s order to refrain from arresting O’Neill, due to an “internal struggle” within the PNG police force.

“We may have civil strife on our hands,” said Tiffany Twivey-Nonggorr.

Acting Police Commissioner Vaki was appointed by the Prime Minister’s cabinet last week and was almost immediately arrested by his own men on charges of abuse of power and perverting the course of justice.

The former police commissioner and several other senior offices were fired by the O’Neill Government last week and the country’s main anti-corruption agency was disbanded.

During this entire process O’Neill has refused calls for him to stand down, saying the corruption allegations against him are politically motivated.

Since the issuing of the arrest warrant O’Neill has disbanded Taskforce Sweep and sacked the attorney general, Kerenga Kua, and deputy police commissioner, Simon Kauba.

On Thursday the PNG Government’s National Executive Council announced the formation of an Interim Office for Anti-Corruption headed by retired Australian judge Justice Graham Ellis.

Meanwhile, a heavy police presence around Port Moresby has thwarted plans to hold another protest against O’Neill’s handling of corruption allegations.

On Tuesday around one thousand people defied a police ban to stage a demonstration on an oval near Parliament House.

The organisers had planned to hold another protest on Friday but heavily-armed police officers were patrolling on the streets preventing people from gathering in groups.

When questioned about the latest developments, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop repeated that the corruption allegations are an internal matter for PNG officials to deal with.

“I spoke with the High Commissioner earlier this week and I have made contact with my PNG counterpart, Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato, to emphasise that legal processes should be respected,” she said.

“The Australian High Commissioner in Port Moresby remains in close contact with the PNG Government.”

However, Bishop has also highlighted the vital relationship Australia has with PNG.

“Australia’s relationship with Papua New Guinea is one of our most important and wide-ranging,” she said.