BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

CHOISEUL’S Provincial Assembly is now on the plank to decide on the future of Lauru Shipping Company as it is reported heading towards sinking financially.

The Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) for Ward 12 at Varisi Lavata Hon Nerio Ulemiki revealing what he describes to be their current government’s great concern said this is due to the previous Provincial Government’s non-compliance to the advice given by the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS).

He said the shipping company’s fate was made known during the Induction and Orientation of a Training Workshop facilitated by the (MPGIS) team from Honiara at Taro last week for the Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) and Heads of Division.

“The team during the Induction and Orientation highlighted four options for the province to choose from in order to salvage Lauru Shipping.

“The four options are consolidating Lauru Shipping Company’s assets which, is unlikely to happen as it breached certain sections of the revised financial management ordinance for clean audit, outright selling of its assets, selling of shares to private shareholders, or lease it to private companies to run the company.

“It is now time for the Choiseul Provincial Government to decide on which of the four options to follow,” said Hon Ulemiki.

Island Sun had queried this issue yesterday through the current and former Premiers of Choiseul Province over which no responses were given before this paper went for print.

Call attempts to MPGIS also over this matter were not possible.

According to Hon Ulemiki, the Training Workshop facilitated by the MPGIS team is still continuing.

By Alfred Sasako

LAVUKAL Chiefs and their tribesmen and women on Russell Island who opposed Chief Samuel Kubu, Leslie Norris, John Whiteside and Wilson Rano, are in a celebratory mood this week as they welcome good news on two fronts.

First, the Appeal which Rano lodged on their behalf was dismissed and they won an Appeal Case brought against them by their opponents led by Chiefs Samuel Kubu and Leslie Norris.

The case was earlier dismissed, in the lower court – the High Court of Solomon Islands, after it found that the lawyer acting for the group, Wilson Rano and Chief Kubu alone did not have the authority to act on behalf of Lavukal, Chief Kubu and the entities he said he (the Chief) represented.

Evidence surfaced in a sworn statement during the hearing that it seems like, it was Whiteside and Van Vlymen who were the real party, behind this, as when Rano first received notice from the Court, Rano first sent to Whiteside an email requesting Cost.

The email requested Whiteside pass on to the Chiefs, when Rano was already in direct contact with Chief Kubu and Leslie Norris. It begs the question as to why Rano sent Whiteside that email, unless he (Mr Whiteside) was behind the case from the very beginning.

Against all odd, the group opposed Leslie Norris and Kubu Appeal application, who asked the High Court Judgement be dismissed. But instead the Court of Appeal, in its sitting in Honiara this week, dismissed the appeal and the Judgement of the High Court now stands.

The case threatened further development of the Russell Islands Plantation Estates Ltd (RIPEL) on Russell, as Chef Kubu, Chief Leslie Norris, Whiteside and Rano tried to include RIPEL, LSL, ICSL and even named Augustine Rose and Patrick Wong, as individuals.

Sydney lawyer Simon Burchett represented Patrick Wong and other Defendants in the initial case as well as at the Court of Appeal.

He told Island Sun on Monday night in Honiara that the matter came down to the difference between the Appeal and whether the Appellants have the authority to appeal the decision. The Court of Appeal found as did the High Court the appellants did not have the authority to appeal the initial decision.

The second good news for the Lavukal Chiefs and their people this week is that RIEPL developer, Patrick Wong promised them that the victory in the Court of Appeal now unlocks more dividends. They would get “three times the dividends” they received last August.

That month Mr Wong paid out about $498,000 in Dividends royalties to the Lavukal Company and in turn the company paid out to the Chiefs and their tribesmen and women and was shared by all the tribes-people.

“We have finally come to the end of all the delays and road blocks, engineered by a selected few. This week’s decision now clears the path for this development to go ahead. I appeal to you all to work together; to develop your resources for your people’s benefit, always act in the best interest of Lavukal and its people” he told a gathering of the Chiefs at the Monarch Hotel (formerly Iron Bottom Sound hotel) on Monday night.

“Now that this matter is cleared, you will be getting more in dividend royalties. In fact, you will get three times more than what you received last time,” he said.

“I am happy you stuck by me and stood up against those who did not tell the truth and took Lavukal people for a ride. You believed in me and we are now at the end of a lengthy bad dream. It was not easy but we have achieved the outcome we have always wanted to achieve.”

POLICE officers in Guadalcanal province have arrested a 40-year-old male following a fatal   traffic accident which claimed the life of a four-year-old male child at Komabulu Village, in the Reko area of North East Guadalcanal on Monday this week, October 1, 2018.

Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Tetere Police Station, Inspector Hughes Nevol says, “It is alleged that the four-year-old was walking on the road side between 6 to 7pm when the vehicle hit him.

“The suspect seeing what happened drove straight to the Tetere Police Station and surrendered himself to police.

“He was breath tested for presence of alcohol and was found positive for presence of alcohol in person’s blood and was later placed in police custody.

“Investigation into the matter has begun and I call anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward and assist Police in their investigations.

“I want to call on the people of Komabulu to allow police to carry out investigations into the matter and not to take the law into their own hands.

“I would also like to remind vehicle drivers travelling to and from North East Guadalcanal, that as our road is now nearing completion and the conditions are good, I urge you all to think safety first. Do not drink and drive. Be responsible for your actions,” says Inspector Nevol.

–POLICE MEDIA

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE Public Prosecutor will today update the court on the status of investigations into the Bellona murder incident.

This is the case against Kravis Tamaika who is alleged of having injured four victims and killing the fifth, who was a female child, on August 17 this year.

On the previous occasion Prosecutor Patricia Tabepuda who appeared for the office of the Director Public Prosecution said investigation is still ongoing and police investigators are yet to go over to Bellona to complete the investigation.

She said that two other victims are currently hospitalised at the National Referral Hospital and thus police are yet to get their statements.

This is the case where police investigates a suspected mentally ill male person who allegedly attacked the young girl at Nukumanu Village in West Bellona. It is reported that she died instantly.

The allegation said three other male persons and a female have been allegedly attacked by the same suspect and were reported to be in serious conditions.

The suspect was arrested and brought over to Honiara and charged with murder and other offences.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

The man who was charged for having pushed another man down the slope at the Skyline area on August 27, 2016 has been sentenced to three and half years on Tuesday.

The accused, Allen Owen, was charged with one count of grievous harm and convicted after a trial.

The sentence was delivered by Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea on behalf of his colleague Principal Magistrate Augustine Aulanga.

The court said that for people to take law into their own hands is not a good way to resolve problems, there are avenues parties can engage to resolve their differences.

But on this case the accused has taken law into his own hands which led him into another trouble.

The court said considering the report made by the medical doctor (Dr Stephen Kodovaru) who examined the victim gave evidence on oath that the victim was x-rayed. He discovered that his right tibia bone that extended to his knee was broken. Being concerned for his blood vessels because of the swelling to his leg, he then inserted external fixtures/antenna/braces to support his broken leg. He was kept under close observation for about a month in the hospital. The reason for that long admission was for insertion of internal fixation of his right leg.

Due to the seriousness of the offence the court sees it fit that a sentence of three and half years in jail is appropriate on the case and the time spent in custody to be taken into account.

The court also remind the accused and also a message for the people not to involve in unlawful activities, taking law into ones hands can always lead to another problem therefore think before involve in such unlawful behaviour.

This is the incident occurred on August 27 2016, where the victim, Joe Frazer Pitamama and his wife went to Girl-guard area near the NPF Plaza. Whilst at Girl-guard, his father called his wife through mobile and advised her that if they return home, they should not drop at Skyline because some people from Shortland wanted to kill the victim. About 4:00pm of that day, they returned but dropped at Skyline.

After they got out from the bus, the victim went to pay cigarette whilst his wife was waiting for him at the roadside. That was the same side of the road that the US memorial was built. It was at that point that the defendant approached the victim and met him at the top of a slope.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE court was informed on Tuesday that investigation into the fatal accident on September 15 which resulted in the death of a 15-year-old girl is yet to be completed.

Public Prosecutor Freliz Fakari said that part of the evidence was already received from investigators with only few statements left to be collected from witnesses.

Ms Fakari said investigators were unable to locate the witnesses and thus some statements are still outstanding.

Meanwhile the defence lawyer representing the accused is seeking disclosures from the prosecution so that they can obtain instructions from the accused.

This is the case against a 26-year-old woman from Isabel, Veslyn Ririana, who police alleged had caused death by reckless driving on a 15-year-old girl on the night of September 15.

She is facing three charges in relation to traffic offences.

The allegation said Ms Ririana on the night of September 15 was driving a motor vehicle along the Mendana Avenue in the westerly direction when the incident occurred.

Police said the motor vehicle was allegedly approaching the HCC roundabout at high speed when the vehicle went off the road and allegedly hit the deceased who was walking in an easterly direction on the road near the Solomon Water office.

Police attended to the fatal accident and assisted the victim to the National Referral Hospital. She was later pronounced dead by medical authorities.

The suspect was transported to the Central Police Station and formally arrested for causing death by reckless and dangerous driving under the Traffic Act.

Ririana also was given a Random Breath Test (RBT) and shows that her alcohol blood reading was 0.184 percent well above the legal rate of 0.050 percent.

The accused was also arrested for driving an unlicensed motor vehicle which expired on June 30, 2018 and driving without a driver’s licence.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea then adjourned the case to October 9, prosecution to follow on the outstanding statements and file to the defence lawyer during the adjournment.