PROBE BEGINS
-Mines Minister Manuari announces start of investigation into missing bauxite exports in Rennell mining
-Missing ores estimated value at $288 million, tax loss estimated at $4.3 million
BY IRWIN ANGIKI
The GREAT government has announced the beginning of investigations into the controversial missing 33 shipments of bauxite from Rennell island, Renbel province.
Minister for Mines, Energy & Rural Electrification (MMERE), Derick Manuari said the Attorney General’s Chambers with support from the Mines Division are leading the process, a statement by the PM Press Secretariat yesterday said.
Attorney General Gabriel Suri, on Monday, June 1, wrote to the Director of Mines to initiate investigation into the 33 shipments of bauxite (minerals) by Asia Pacific Investment Development Ltd and Bintan Mining SI Ltd, the statement said.
The scandal involved 33 shipments of bauxite which companies, Asia Pacific Investment Development (APID) company and its subcontractor Bintan Mining Solomon Islands Ltd (BMSI), had not paid government taxes, landowner royalties and payments to the Renbel province for.
The missing shipments represented estimated unpaid tax of $4.3 million, unpaid royalty of $3.4 million, unpaid fees to the Renbel province of $864,558, and unpaid fees towards community development estimated at $2 million.
Current minister of Foreign Affairs, Rick Hou, was prime minister at the time when the 33 shipments went missing – from November 28, 2017 and January 22, 2019.
And, the new Attorney General, Gabriel Suri’s law firm represented APID.
The announced investigation into the 33-shipment saga is a step forward following the commission of inquiry (COI) launched by Minister Manuari on May 13 last year when he was Mines Minister under the former government, the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT).
Minister Manuari in making the announcement yesterday said this signals a decisive move by the GREAT coalition to restore integrity in the mineral sector.
Manuari said that the Government’s actions are grounded in law and reform, the statement from the PM Press Secretariat said.
Manuari said the GREAT Coalition is taking firm and necessary steps to overhaul a sector long plagued by weak oversight and lack of accountability.
“These reforms are about safeguarding national interests, strengthening transparency, and ensuring Solomon Islanders receive the full benefits from their natural resources,” he said.
Manuari said many of the current challenges stem from years of inaction and lack of political will by previous governments to implement meaningful reforms.
“We are now doing the hard work that should have been done long ago and putting in place strong systems, tightening oversight and building a modern, accountable framework for managing our mineral resources,” he added.
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