According to a brief article published today by The National, Rimua has been reappointed to the four-year post despite an arrest earlier this month on charges over the misappropriation of a "substantial amount" of public funds.

The PNG paper reported that sources in the department described the nomination as hypocritical given the government's anti-corruption rhetoric, yet said no comment could be obtained by cabinet officials.

There is no official word on whether the charges have been dropped or how Rimua may have deflected the high-profile case.

Often considered by industry insiders as the right-hand man of Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma, Rimua functioned as a "caretaker" secretary until first being appointed to the head of the department in 2007.

The National followed Rimua's March arrest in Port Moresby by the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption agency.

Rimua had reportedly received four charges stemming from an allegation over falsely claiming public funds totalling more than 249,500 kina ($A111,330).