Suspicion falls on police officers releasing Chinese miner on bail ‘quickly’ amid active investigation on possible hired-hitmen case
BY LORETTA B MANELE
The practice of police officers ‘quickly’ releasing suspects in custody under dubious circumstances is under the spotlight.
It is reported that police officers at the Central police station release certain suspects, who can afford it, while the rest are detained according to process.
On Sunday evening, March 8, a Chinese businessman in the mining industry was arrested and put in custody following an assault incident that afternoon on two Chinese Australians in front of the Meat Lovers shop in Kukum.
The suspect was one of four Chinese businessmen, in the mining sector, who were under the police radar following the incident.
However, a few hours later the suspect was released on bail. He was on a plane to Rennell on Monday morning.
The police officer in charge had released him on bail for ‘medical grounds’.
Police officers close to the matter told Island Sun that it is questionable how quick bail was granted to the suspect on the grounds of ‘medical condition’.
The officers told Island Sun when the suspect was brought in on Sunday evening and questioned, he had not mentioned anything about having a medical condition.
Furthermore, the police officers said the suspect was released on the condition of reporting back to the station at 9am the next day (Monday, March 9).
“The suspect did not report in on Monday morning at 9am, because he had hopped in a flight to Rennell,” the police officers said.
A source on the ground in Rennell confirmed to Island Sun on Tuesday that the suspect was on the island.
The police officers said “it does not make sense that the suspect was released on bail so quick when we are still working on the assault and hijacking incident case which is reportedly said to involve three other suspects”.
The police officers said that it is through the Principal Criminal Investigative Officer or the court that bail should be granted.
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Media Unit has not responded to enquiries sent it by this paper yesterday for comment.
Background
Police arrested the Chinese miner following what is reported to an arranged attack on two other miners.
Two Australian citizens, of Chinese origin, were reportedly assaulted and robbed Sunday afternoon, March 8, by three locals outside the King of Meatz Kukum shop.
The locals were reportedly hired by four Chinese men who were senior figures in a mining company, sources told Island Sun on Sunday.
The incident is connected to the mining operation on Rennell island, Renbel province, sources said.
Police Media told Island Sun on Monday, “One of the Chinese businessmen who masterminded the hiring of the locals to harm the two persons has been arrested by police. Investigations have been initiated and ongoing on the matter.”
Four Chinese individuals had masterminded the attack and hired the three locals, police said.
At this stage, it is not clear whether the plan was to kill the two persons or just threaten them, police told Island Sun.
Island Sun has sighted a video which was recorded by one of the two persons during the attack showing the three locals assaulting and robbing them.
The faces of the three local men are clearly visible in the video as they entered the vehicle, assaulted and snatched the vehicle key, and snatched a mobile phone from the two Chinese Australians.
The incident occurred in broad daylight with vehicles passing by. Bystanders reportedly came and persuaded the attackers to return the vehicle keys.
The mobile phone remains missing.
The four men who allegedly masterminded the attack are senior figures of one of the mining companies operating on Rennell, sources told Island Sun.
The two Chinese Australians are also senior members of another mining company, and were embroiled in business disputes with the four men, sources said.
It is understood that an injunction case between the parties is before the courts, to be heard this week.
Meanwhile, this is not the first violent incident to happen connected to extractive operations in Rennell.
The most media-covered incident took place on the morning of Saturday, November 8, 2014, when a prominent landowner of West Rennell was attacked with a 60-centimetre bushknife and got his arm nearly chopped clean off. The attackers were hired by a logging company following dispute with the victim.
In September 2016 then Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare ordered an urgent investigation into “deepening violence” in West Rennell logging operations. The violence resulted in at least two people sustaining knife wounds. An attacker was taken into police custody in Honiara.
In May 2017 two cases of alleged arson occurred near Kanava Village in West Rennell. Police investigators from the National Crime Intelligence department were deployed from Honiara to assist.
In January 2020 an Indonesian national employed by the Bintang Mining Company was fatally stabbed on Rennell Island following an argument with two local men. The victim died at the Tigoa clinic, and two suspects in their 30s were arrested.
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