PAPUA NEW GUINEA | Richard Pagen appointed as Chief Ombudsman

The Ombudsman Commission welcomes the appointment of Mr. Richard Pagen as its 8th Chief Ombudsman following his Swearing-in at the Government House on Tuesday 28 July 2020.

Mr. Pagen was the Acting Chief Ombudsman until his confirmation on 2 July 2020 by the Ombudsman Appointments Committee, in accordance with Section 217(1)(2) of the Constitution. Chief Ombudsman Richard Pagen served as an officer in the service of the Commission for over 20 years.

He first joined the service of the Commission as an Investigator and later as a Senior Investigator and Team Leader in the Leadership Division, before being appointed the Director of Leadership Division until his acting appointment as an Ombudsman in 2016. Mr. Pagen was confirmed as an Ombudsman in 2017 and became the Acting Chief Ombudsman in October 2019 before his confirmation as the Chief Ombudsman on 2 July 2020.

Chief Ombudsman Pagen has a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Papua New Guinea and a Honours Degree from the University of Tasmania, Australia. He has had vast prior experiences in both the public and private sector employments.

Prior to joining the Ombudsman Commission in 1999, Chief Ombudsman Pagen served as a Geologist with Minorco Exploration Ltd based in Port Moresby, CRA Exploration in Australia and Anglo America Mining; Exploration based in Mt. Hagen and Interim Director, National Anti-Corruption Alliance (NACA), now commonly known as Task Force Sweep.

Chief Ombudsman Richard Pagen comes from Laiagam District in the Enga Province.

Source: the Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea