Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has disbanded the country’s main anti-corruption body after an arrest warrant was served on him earlier this week over corruption allegations.

The arrest warrant was served on O’Neill on Monday.

O’Neill says Taskforce Sweep has been politically compromised, and its integrity has been politically influenced.

The chairman of the taskforce, Sam Koim, issued a statement ahead of the break-up, calling it “the gravest mistake a responsible government would make”.

O’Neill has also announced that the deputy police commissioner of operations, Simon Kauba, has been sacked for not following orders.

O’Neill is quoted as saying Kauba “has been terminated for the interest of the nation”.

“We cannot continue to have police men and women who are government employees, running around trying to undermine government decisions,” he said.

“We are going to continue to terminate everybody who is going to undermine the work of the government.

“This government has had enough – we are not going to put up with these little games any more.”

Kauba said police would respect the stay against the prime minister’s arrest warrant, but they were still interested in questioning him.

The sacking came as the country’s new police commissioner, Geoffrey Vaki, was arrested by Kauba.

Vaki spent several hours inside police headquarters before emerging and being escorted to the fraud office for questioning.

In a complex series of events Vaki was appointed to the job after Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga was removed by cabinet.

Kulunga is out on bail while appealing a sentence of seven months with hard labour on three contempt charges, for refusing to reinstate Vaki after a court ruled the police erred in dismissing him.

The latest developments follow the sacking of the attorney-general Kerenga Kua by O’Neill earlier this week.

Late on Tuesday, it was announced Rigo MP Ano Pala had been appointed attorney general and minister for justice.

In a statement, O’Neill says Kua was sacked for opposing the government’s attempts to change the constitution in relation to votes of no confidence.

“It is unfortunate that I’ve had to take this decision at this time, but I must do so in the interest of government and its stability,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill says the police, courts and government departments have been politically compromised.

“Individuals who are holding very senior positions in rank and file of the police force. I think it’s needed to be cleaned and we need an independent process to clean it out.”