MEMBER of Parliament for East Makira Alfred Ghiro has won an election petition case put up against him at the High Court of Solomon Islands last week.
This follows the dismissal of the claims made in the petition by high court judge Justice Joseph Foukona last Thursday.
The petition was filed by Charles Fordan Maefai.
Maefai was the runner-up candidate after the declaration of the national general election results for East Makira Constituency after the polls on November 19, 2014 where Ghiro had won.
Having aggrieved the results, Maefai then filed in a petition on December 24, 2014 with further and better particulars filed on March 17, 2016.
The claims filed in the petition submission include bribery and buying of voters through agents.
The matter then went under trial this year from January 17 to January 26 at the High Court with the final submissions been made on May 28.
In the ruling last Thursday, Justice Foukona stated that there is no evidence to prove any wrongdoing or inducement to vote for the respondent.
“On the entire case I find the allegations are not proved to my satisfaction, on the standard as required. I therefore adjudge that the election of the respondent was valid and which was conducted in accordance with the constitution and the national elections (general provisions) act.”
He then gave order to dismiss the case in its entirety.
