[5] Yama was referred to the Public Prosecutor in July 1997 amid allegations of misconduct which included, "improper application and failure to acquit EDF and other public funds, conflict of interest, using his position to obtain private a [sic] bank loan and attempting to purchase 2 ships from the government below market price".
[6] The matter was then referred to a leadership tribunal, which investigates alleged cases of misconduct by ministers and senior public officials, and which recommended the dismissal of Yama from his office in December 2004.
Attorney General Zacchary Gelu awarded Yama a PGK15.5 million Deed of Settlement in compensation for lost earnings.
However, in 2010 a government Commission of Inquiry found that Yama's claim had been a fraudulent one, as it had failed to comply with mandatory procedural requirements and had been filed in respect of a plot of land that did not exist.
Australian law firm Gadens Lawyers, which represented BSP in the court action against Yama, were forced to withdraw their involvement in the case following physical threats to their legal team by armed groups in Port Moresby.