PNG minister arrested, charged with domestic assault in Sydney

Sydney, July 7 Papua New Guinea's Minister for Petroleum Jimmy Maladina was arrested in Sydney and charged with an alleged domestic assault offence, local media reported on Sunday.

The local media reported that the minister was charged with domestic assault on Saturday morning after being arrested in Bondi, a suburb of eastern Sydney, reported Xinhua news agency.

It said that police were called to an address in Bondi at about 10 a.m. local time Saturday after receiving reports of a domestic dispute. Officers spoke to a 31-year-old woman with facial injuries, allegedly as a result of an altercation with a 58-year-old man known to her.

The man was arrested, and taken to the police station where he was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The local media also quoted a statement of Maladina as saying that he was "fully cooperating with the authorities".

The minister was granted conditional bail and is due to face court on Thursday, it added.

Source: IANS