BY ROMINAH FAKA

The pastor and the gangs pleaded not guilty in magistrate court yesterday.

They denied counts of criminal trespass and count of malicious damage.

One of them, Junior Rollin, faces an extra charge of being in possession of firearm. For this charge he will take his plea on May 17.

Court adjourned to May 17 for Pre- Trial- Conference (PTC) and for possible listing of trial dates.

The nine accused namely, Pastor Bernard Bana, 34, Charles Bane, 72, David Bane, 35, Junior Rollin, 27, Thomas Fenli, 37, Albert Ramo, 21, Rolland Fiu, 41, Patterson Iugasia, 38, and Jacob Gore, 47, are all jointly charged with Criminal Trespass and Malicious Damage.

Allegations said leading up to the incident, Pr Bana had locked up church properties which had been presented to the Bazo SSEC church on Savo by sister churches on Honiara.

This reportedly did not go down well with the Bazo community.

This disagreement eventually led to Bana leaving Bazo for Honiara in January this year.

Two weeks later Bana’s wife returned to Bazo to collect their belongings.

It is alleged while she was packing up their belongings; a man (who would later become the complainant in this case) approached the pastor’s wife and told her to leave the church properties alone.

The wife reported this to her husband (Bana) upon return and he responded by telling her to inform the Bazo community and the man who had approached her to prepare $10,000 as compensation for him (Bana).

On Thursday, February 22 Bana and the other eight defendants met near the Yacht club sea front where Bana paid a sea fare of $700 and they crossed to Bazo Village, Savo at 5pm.

Allegations continue that they first shored at Koromilo village where they unloaded seven cartons of beer and headed to Mora village.

They arrived around 6pm in the evening and walked straight to Bazo village, to the complainant’s house.

The complainant and his family were in their kitchen having dinner when defendant David Bane came and spoke with him. One of the defendants threw a punch at the complainant but missed.

One of the defendants grabbed the complainant’s shirt while another defendant who was armed with an axe moved in to attack the complainant. However, the complainant freed himself and escaped.

Rollin gave chase with his home-made pistol but could not catch him, so he returned and threatened one of the villagers with the weapon, it is alleged.

The defendants then turned on the complainant’s house and properties and damaged it.

The total amount of the damaged properties is reportedly $10,470. These include the damaged solar watts, large bucket, and pieces of iron roofing, pots, cups, plates, spoon, luggage basket, dwelling house and kitchen house.

Allegations added that on February 23 the defendants to 16 pieces of roofing iron and a tank belonging to the Bazo church and sold them to some people from nearby Lokanipeo village.

Bazo community reported the matter to the police. On Saturday, February 24 the defendants were about to board a boat back to Honiara when the Police Response Team arrived and apprehended all the defendants and escorted them to Tulagi police station.

Next day they were escorted to Honiara.

Iete Tebakota of Police Prosecution Department act for the Crown and Rochelle Palmer of PSO represent Pastor Bernad Bana, Rolland Fiu, Albert Ramo, Charles Bane and Junior Rollin and Bobby Harunari of PSO represent Thomas Fenli, Patterson Lugasia, Jacob Gore and David Bane.

BY ROMINAH FAKA

The case of former Pan Oceania Bank (POB) officer Shuyee Eli Yan was further suspended to Monday next week for parties to finalise the issue of the amount the accused stole.

On Wednesday’s hearing prosecution told court it had submitted revised charge sheets to defence, and is waiting for defence to update crown and court on its position.

Defence however told court it needed more time to go through the revised sheet thoroughly.

Defence also said the amount in the charge sheet appear to be different to the amount with which the defendant had pleaded guilty to.

Court adjourned the matter to May 6 for the final charges and facts and submissions to be made.

Yan plead guilty in a previous hearing to 16 counts, four forgery charges and 12 larceny by servant charges.

Yan was charged with the following offencee between 28 June 2021 and 26 August 2022, when she worked as one of the Bank Officers for the Pan Oceanic Bank (POB).

The prosecution alleged defendant stole a large amount of money between 28 June 2021 and 26 August 2022 from Saibuloa Landowners Association’s account by transferring through interest banking to the account of other POB customers or users.

The allegations state that those customers would then withdraw the money from their account and give the money to the accused Yan.

The prosecution further alleged she received a total of $350,500 after giving commissions to the customers that she used to transfer money to their account and they will withdraw the money for her (accused).

The prosecution also alleged Yan forged a document namely Application to Release Dormant Account Status of the Dangi Tughu account that contains the forged signatures of the three signatories of the Dangi Tughu account.

Yan also accused of forging a letter titled Authorization to Transferring of Funds from Dangi Tughu account to Saibuloa Landowners Association account that contains forged signatories of Dangi Tughu account.

She was further accused of forging a POB withdrawal slip with the sum, of $ 25,000 under the Dangi Tughu account that contains forged signatures of the two signatories of the Dangi Tughu account.

Vernon Taupongi of Office of Director of Public Prosecution appears for Crown and Delilah Kukura of Public Solicitor Office appears for the accused.

BY ROMINAH FAKA

Trial for the case against the Police Officer accused of stealing $300,000 kept as exhibit at the Police storage facilities at Rove in Honiara in 2020 is set for August 19-30 this year.

At yesterday’s mention the court set a new trial date as the previous trial date was vacated during the previous hearing.

The trial date was proposed for August this year however, the prosecutor in carriage of the file Olivia Ratu Manu is yet to confirm her availability on the proposed date on the interim-mentions date set by the court yesterday.

Court suspended the matter to June 5 this year for interim-mention, prosecutor in carriage of the file to confirm to the court her availability on August 19-30.

Mr. Makasi Dolaiano is facing one count of stealing as a clerk and he denied the charged by pleading not guilty to it.

The prosecution alleged that the defendant stole $336,891.20 that was kept as an exhibit for a trial in the Honiara Magistrate Court in October 2020.

It was further alleged that the defendant was said to be one of the officers manning the exhibit storage facility at the time when the $300,000 went missing in October 2020.

The $300,000 belonged to One Link Pacifica customers.

Police recovered the monies after they arrested the manager of the money investment scheme in April 2020.

The 300k was initially kept at the exhibit storage facility at the Central Police Station and then transferred to the exhibit storage facility at the Rove Police Headquarters where it went missing.

George Gray of Public Solicitor’s Office represents Dolaiano and Office of Director of Public Prosecution act for the Crown.

BY ROMINAH FAKA

The murder case which happened in Marau, south-east Guadalcanal this year has again moved for May 6.

Part of the reason for this adjournment is the forensics department of the police have been busy with the elections.

Consequently, prosecution is still waiting for the autopsy album from Forensics.

The accused in this case is also yet to find a lawyer.

Prosecution told court yesterday it is yet to receive the autopsy photo album.

Prosecution said the forensic office, which was supposed to send it the autopsy album, was busy with the elections the past weeks hence have not responded to emails and phone calls until Monday this week.

Court suspended the matter for May 6 for mention. Court directed prosecution to serve full disclosures during the course of the adjournment.

Court is to summon Peter Vaiki from the forensics office department if the photo album is not served to the DPP office during the course of adjournment.

Police alleged October 8, 2023 late in the evening, the deceased and some of her relatives boarded a canoe to an island called Ravi within the Marau area to sleep over for fishing during the night time.

Next day at about 8am, the deceased and two other relatives boarded another canoe to the mainland to collect food and water for the group on the island.

When they reached mainland, they dug some swamp taro, refilled some containers of water.

At about 4pm the deceased and the other girls loaded their canoe and departed for Ravi Island.

About few metres from the mainland the deceased complained that her body was not feeling good, and was afraid to go to Ravi Island, so she decided to stay back on the mainland.

The other girls left the deceased along the shore so that she could walk back home.

The deceased then left Tawanikeni village along the sea shore back to her village Kompa’u.

Prosecution alleged that it was on her way back to her home village that the accused attacked her.

A witness who was on his way along the airport that day heard a sound of a crying person. When the witness got closer to where the crying sound came from, he saw Manepania holding a bush knife in his right hand.

Manepania led the witness to where the deceased was lying unconscious then he stepped onto the deceased’s forehead and squeezed the neck of the deceased until she stopped breathing.

After that Manepania demanded and ordered the witness to take the dead body down to the sea and sink it.

The accused allegedly threatened the witness to carry out this act, saying he would cut the witness with the bush knife if he did not comply.

Police at Marau received a report of the incident on October 10, 2023, when villagers around Marau area saw the deceased’s body washed ashore in front of the Conflict Lodge.

Jonathan Auga of the Office of Director of Public Prosecution appears for the Crown.