Australian and Papua New Guinean police are in talks about returning three Wilson Security guards who are accused of raping a PNG Transfield employee to Manus Island for police questioning.
The three men were flown off the island and out of the country in the hours after the alleged incident inside the Australian-run asylum seeker detention centre in mid-July.
One of the men later said to the alleged victim he’d been taken off the island because he “got in trouble”.
The female Transfield employee was found naked and disoriented in a shower block in the Wilson’s accommodation block on the morning of 16 July. She has said she remembers nothing after being given an unknown pill by a Wilson guard while at after-work drinks with colleagues.
Wilson Security is subcontracted by detention centre operator Transfield Services to provide security at the detention centre.
Papua New Guinea police have demanded the men be returned and confirmed they were investigating “attempted rape, indecent exposure and sexual assault”.
The men’s rapid – and thus far permanent – departure from Manus has been an enduring controversy on the island, with the alleged victim, her family and community insisting they be returned to face justice.
On Monday, the woman’s father and supporters, armed with machetes, forcibly seized control of two vehicles owned by the detention centre.
In a meeting brokered subsequently, the woman’s family said detention centre operator Transfield had promised the men would be returned to the island.
On Thursday, the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, said he was aware of the allegations against the Wilson guards and that discussions were underway between PNG’s police force and the Australian federal police, over the men’s return.
“There are protocols that exist between countries and that’s now a matter for the police. I understand there is a discussion between the royal national police in Papua New Guinea and the Australian federal police.”
A spokesman for the immigration department said: “The department is cooperating fully with local authorities on this matter and will continue to do so.”
Australia has an extradition agreement with Papua New Guinea, making extraditions between the two countries possible.
After more than a month of silence, the woman at the centre of the allegations, spoke out last week about the incident, saying all she ever wanted was for “justice to run its course”.
“I told Transfield management … if the guys were here, this could have been solved a long time ago,” she told Guardian Australia. “They have the answers I want to know. This would have already been fixed.
“But once you start hiding people and sending them away, what are you covering up for?”
She said she feels she has been abandoned by her former employer Transfield who, she says, have attempted to cover up the incident.
“I worked hard to do a good job. But they didn’t care about me, they just wanted to protect their name.”
Guardian Australia has contacted Transfield, the Australian federal police and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary seeking comment.
A spokesman for the Australian federal police told Guardian Australia the investigation was primarily a matter for Papua New Guinean police.
“The AFP has discussed the status of this matter with the RPNGC but has not received any requests ... for assistance in this matter.”
The spokesman said any extradition request from PNG would be considered by the AFP in accordance with established protocols.
