BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

PRINCIPAL Magistrate Augustine Aulanga has adjourned the case against Solomon Habatia to tomorrow to allow for the defence lawyer to appear in court.

Yesterday both the prosecution and defence submitted their sentencing and mitigation submission, however the lawyer representing the accused did not turn up because he was sick.

A lawyer from the Public Solicitor’s Office who appeared on instruction of his colleague told the court that he cannot further assist the court with regards to other issues.

Public Prosecutor Freliz Fakari said that adjourning the case to Thursday is fine to allow the defence to submit his view in terms of sentencing the accused first before waiting for the outcome of the application at the High Court.

The accused, after he was convicted, appealed his conviction, however that application is yet to be heard.

This is the case of Charles Solomon Habatia a former traffic director who was charged and tried for one count of conversion, contrary to section 278 (1) (c)(i) of the Penal Code.

After his conviction by the Magistrate Court his defence lawyer appealed Habatia’s conviction to the High Court and thus the Magistrate Court is waiting on the decision of the High Court before can proceed on in sentencing Mr Habatia.

His case is in relation to an incident occurred n 2016 when he was the Operation Manager for Honiara city and by virtue of his position, he was responsible for the formulation, coordination and management of police operations of various departments or units in the Honiara city.

Before June 2016, he applied for Solomon Islands government money in a form of special imprest of $24,000 from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury. The application was approved and the money was raised and paid to the defendant. It was purposely to fund police operations within the Honiara city.

Prosecution in their allegation said that he did not use the whole of the $24,000 for the police operations. Instead, he fraudulently converted and used part of it for his own benefit. This occurred from June 3 to August 31, 2016.

The prosecution said the accused retired the money in a spreadsheet and attached a number of receipts obtained from individuals and business entities.

In the imprest retirement, he outlined certain transactions for various police operations under different departments like; the Liquor Unit, Criminal Response Unit and Naha Police.

However, the Heads of these departments were not aware of such engagement or transactions. Those receipts in the prosecution’s case were false.

They were produced by the defendant to deceive the Solomon Islands government in the retirement of the money.

Meanwhile the defendant denied the fraudulent conversion of the money. He remained silent and called no evidence for his case.

He ardently emphasised in his closing submission that he did not receive the money at all and further denied any wrong doing on his part.

He argued that there was no evidence to prove the allegation and therefore, he should be acquitted.

But the court found him guilty after the trial was conducted and convicted him as charged.

By Mike Puia

CHIEFS from Auluta in East Malaita, Malaita province, have welcomed the government’s proposed Traditional Governance & Custom Facilitation Bill 2018.

President of the Auluta Council of Chiefs, Rocky Tisah, said the bill is timely as traditional leaders need to be empowered to do their work in these times.

The bill, designed under the Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace, provide for the recognition of traditional governance system, amending the Provincial Government Act 1997.

The proposed law, now before the government, looks to empower and allow tribal chiefs and traditional leaders to participate in decision making on social and economic matters of the country.

It looks to provide a framework for the promotion and preservation of traditional norms, protocols, values and practices.

The proposed legislation also aims to provide a framework for the institutionalisation, management and regulation of traditional governance systems.

Once enacted, it will enable the traditional governance system to become part of the formal governance system with the intention of preserving the customary governance system.

Tisah said the government must make the bill a law as this is required by the national constitution.

He said at present traditional leaders are powerless and only an act of parliament will bring back the powers traditional leaders have.

Chief Tisah said for 40 years traditional leaders have been ignored the important role they play particularly in the rural areas.

He said passing the bill is an urgent matter.

Tisah said the bill shown be ready so that provinces that are ready can proceed and go with it in the own style of ruling.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE court is yet to set the date for trial on the case against former Member of Parliament, Hypolite Taremae.

Appearing in court yesterday, defence lawyer Anderson Kesaka told the court that defence intends to call 52 witnesses in relation to the two charges against his client.

He said that they will cross examine all witnesses that is why they wanted to call all 52 witnesses.

Meanwhile Principal Magistrate Fatimah Taeburi said that 52 witnesses on two charges is too much, and ordered that the list of witnesses be trimmed.

She said that prosecution should specify the issues relating to the two charges.

Ms Taeburi then grant another adjournment to allow the prosecution narrow down the issues and for both counsels to trim down the list of witnesses for the trial.

Taeburi said on the next occasion all issues should be sorted out and trial date should be set.

The case then was adjourned to September 25 for mention.

This is the case against the former MP who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and a PTC has been set he was arrested for allegation of misappropriation of fund in 2011 and 2013.

The allegation said Mr Taremae has misappropriated more than $200,000 for reafforestation project for Central Makira Constituency.

He was arrested and charged with conversion late in May this year.

Office of the Director Public Prosecution appears for crown while Anderson Kesaka is representing the accused.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

AUKI

MALAITA Province Council of Women has recently held successful dialogue with representatives from the World Bank in Auki.

The dialogue was in preparation towards tackling some women issues which might arise during execution of Bina-Dala tar-seal road project, which is along the pipeline.

President of MPCW, Ms Martha Rurai said the idea behind the dialogue is to understand each other and work together on women related issues.

She said it was common for some forms of development happened the country that sometimes they carried along with them anti-social activities.

Rurai said a classic example was a report recently released by WorldFish on logging operation and related activity in Malaita province.

She said there were lots of negative deeds been reported and said to have been associated to this development.

Rurai said this is the concern World Bank wanted to work with MPCW to ensure such activities especially for women won’t happen during the execution of the project in Malaita.

“Now we started to organise ourselves to put up programme and work with women groups or organisations within area the project will be implemented.

“We’ll work with church women groups and community women groups to aware them on the matter, so they can pass it to younger ones.

“Our work was to inform girls and women to think positive and involve only in good activities to generate them benefits from the project rather than involving in odd activities for money or benefits,” she said.

Rurai said as they will provide awareness to women and girls, they will also pursue MPG to formulate set of laws to regulate the activity during the project.

She said this is to remain everyone that there is a law and everyone who engage or not engage in the project must abide to the law.