Papua New Guinea minister facing domestic assault charge steps down. Opposition demands resignation

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Papua New Guinea’s opposition leader urged the country’s premier Tuesday to fire the petroleum minister who is stepping down from office as he faces alleged domestic assault charges in Australia.

Police in the Australian state of New South Wales <a class=«Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement» data-gtm-enhancement-style=«LinkEnhancementA» href=«https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news_article?sq_content_src=» https: target="_blank" rel=«noopener»>said in a statement

Saturday that a 58-year-old man was arrested and charged after a domestic dispute in Sydney after a 31-year-old woman known to him had injuries to her face following an altercation, the statement said.

Australian authorities did not name Petroleum Minister Jimmy Maladina as the accused, but his identity was widely reported by news outlets in Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said in a written statement Sunday that Maladina “offered to step aside” while he attended to a complaint “as it is heard in court in Australia,” without elaborating further on the incident.

The premier added he would appoint an acting minister to fill in for the petroleum minister.

Still, opposition leader Douglas Tomuriesa urged Marape to sack Maladina or request his outright resignation rather than allow him to step aside temporarily. “While Maladina won’t be performing his ministerial duties, he will still be getting paid as so,” Tomuriesa said in a written statement.

Maladina is due to appear in court Thursday on a charge of assault resulting in bodily harm. He is currently on bail, police said. He has not responded to requests for comment by The Associated Press.

In remarks attributed to him by news outlets