Solicitor General battles 10 billion lawsuits to protect state funds

The Solicitor General’s office is currently defending the state against nearly 10 billion lawsuits filed against the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

This was according to Secretary of the Department of Justice and Attorney General [DJAG], Dr. Eric Kwa.

Dr. Kwa disclosed that many of these claims are false, placing an enormous burden on the Solicitor General's lawyers, who are working tirelessly to safeguard public funds.

“We are defending close to 10 billion lawsuits. I want Papua New Guineans to know that we are working hard to protect the state from unnecessary and fraudulent claims,” he said.

He urged people to verify the legitimacy of lawsuits before pursuing legal action against the state.

“Every day, new cases are filed. These lawyers are dealing with over 10 billion suits, many of which are not genuine. These funds belong to the people, and we are ensuring they are not lost to false claims,” Dr. Kwa said.

Massive workload for state lawyers

Secretary Kwa said this situation has overwhelmed the Solicitor General’s team, with each lawyer managing more than 500 case files.

He said this has exceeded the recommended limit of fewer than 100 files per lawyer.

“Our lawyers are overworked. Each carries five times the workload considered appropriate for effective legal practice,” Dr. Kwa said.

Dr. Kwa said in order to address this, DJAG is implementing measures to provide allowances and better support for these legal professionals.

Meanwhile Dr. Kwa furthur emphasized on the harm caused by fraudulent lawsuits.

“When courts order payments based on false claims, the money comes from state coffers. This affects the delivery of essential services to citizens who genuinely need government support,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of defending legitimate claims while vigorously contesting baseless ones.

“We respect court orders, but we must ensure that taxpayers' money is not misused or redirected to individuals without merit,” Dr. Kwa said.

Dr. Kwa further added that DJAG is exploring long-term measures including enhancing verification processes for claims filed against the state and hiring additional legal staff to distribute workloads more evenly.

Meantime Dr. Kwa called on the public and the legal community to act responsibly.

“We all have a duty to protect state resources. Let’s ensure that only genuine cases come before the courts,” he said.