Papua New Guinea's prime minister, Sir Michael Somare, is under scrutiny from the ombudsman commission for allegedly failing to lodge his financial returns.

Our PNG correspondent, Steve Marshall, reports lawyers acting for Sir Michael will be seeking to halt an investigation into allegations of misconduct by the PM.

Politicians are required to declare their assets, income and business connections under PNG's leadership code.

It is alleged Sir Michael failed to lodge returns for three straight years in the mid-1990s, along with a number of incomplete returns throughout the decade.

Sir Michael might be referred to the leadership tribunal for prosecution.

There was no comment from the prime minister's media department.

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