BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

OUTSTANDING payment for contactors of the 2012 Festival of Pacific Arts (FOPA) hosted in Solomon Islands are still being sought after by local contractors, seven years on.

The issue is being resurrected since Solomon Islands is bound to host another similar event, the Melanesian Arts Festival, in about two months’ time.

Local contractors from FOPA 2012, who are still crying to the government for their pay, question how the government is audacious enough to plan to host another regional festival while it still has not settled debts from the last one.

A person who was contracted to provide catering service for one of the FOPA satellite venues, Mr Jessy Tonisi, says they have cried and suffered for eight years – waiting on a government that has chosen to ignore them.

“In pursuing the issue we go as far as reaching the court where the court ordered the government for the payment.

“However, later, the government issued that we must provide some required documents before the payment which is another tactic used to continue delay or not making the payment,” Tonisi said.

He said government was merely making up excuses in asking for documents, which he says was unnecessary because every contractor was documented and recorded before work for FOPA 2012 began.

He reiterates the call on the government through the ministry of culture and tourism to pay the outstanding payments owed to the contractors.

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

PEOPLE who had subscribed for the Sky Pacific television service in Auki are calling on Our Telekom to refund their expenses.

The Sky Pacific service had been put out in 1999. Our Telekom had established a lease with the media giant in the ‘90s.

A Mr Willie Utu, who had been a subscriber, says, “Our Telekom Company should refund our expenses because we have paid for those services including the television disc which cost us $6,000.

“I bought my new Sky Pacific disc and after few months I heard that the service has been put out and no longer operate in the country.

“The television service has been put out unnecessary with their unknown reason which affected us where we spent money for their services and facilities.

“We the Sky Pacific viewers call on Our Telekom to explain and clarify to us this issue and if possible just refund our money.

“We are looking forward for Our Telekom to consider this issue as we are the regularly customer where we really support the company through its development especially in Auki,” Utu said.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE former financial controller of the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services Stephen Jude Oto has been sentenced to three years in prison yesterday.

Mr Oto was charged with 11 counts of official corruption and he pleaded guilty to all 11 counts.

Mr Oto commited the offences when he was the FC of the said Ministry.

Principal Magistrate Fatimah Taeburi in sentencing the accused said that there is indeed a need for specific and general deterrence on the case.

She said that Oto and other like-minded offenders must appreciate that corrupt practices are not tolerated in all levels of our society in both the public service and the private sector.

Ms Taeburi said clearly Mr Oto’s official position carries high responsibilities and obligations and with such responsibilities come high expectations, public trust and confidence.

“The scenario is even more serious given that he is a public officer within the Ministry of Police. This is a government department that is supposed to support law enforcement agencies to maintain, preserve and enforce law and order in this country,” Taeburi said.

Taeburi said his actions have breached the trust and confidence that the public has placed on him as the financial controller.

“He has also brought the Ministry of Police in this country to disrepute,” Taeburi added.

Taeburi imposed the following sentences on the accused that for count 1, three years imprisonment, Count 2 three years, Count3 three years, Count 4 two years, Count 5 six months, Count 6 three years, Count 7 three years, Count 8 two years, Count 9 three years Count 10 six month and Count 11 three years.

And she ordered that the sentences for count 1 to 5 since it was committed in the same year the sentences are to be served concurrently and the total sentence is therefore three years imprisonment.

While for counts 6- 11 it was also committed in the same year and Taeburi ordered to serve concurrently but consecutively to the total sentence for counts 1 to 5.

Therefore the total sentence for the accused is six years imprisonment.

However she further orders that after considering the principle of totality, in the court’s view the total sentence of six years imprisonment is manifestly excessive in the circumstances.

“I therefore impose a sentence of three years imprisonment,” Taeburi said.

She also said that there is no need to impose any orders for recovery.

The essence of the offence of official corruption is the abuse of a public office for personal gain, Taeburi said.

“Mr Oto in this case did not steal, or misappropriate, or convert any public money for his own use, he did deliver the services to the public in consideration for the payments that he received from the Ministry. The criminality of his conducts is that he used his public office and position to his own advantage and to derive benefits for himself. That is the heart of the offence of the official corruption.

“I therefore do not see any need to make any orders for recovery,” Taeburi adds.

BY GEORGINA KEKEA

 THE Solomon Islands Government is currently undertaking a very important initiative to enter into an agreement with the European Union (EU) on the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA).

On Tuesday a workshop on iEPA brought together different stakeholders within government and private sector who had been engaged in this consultative process since 2017.

Speaking to Island Sun, Supervising Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET), Joseph Ma’ahanua says iEPA stems from the Cotonou agreement.

Cotonou agreement is a treaty between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP countries) and it is the most comprehensive partnership agreement between countries and the EU.

Mr Ma’ahanua says as a branch of the Cotonou agreement, the iEPA will enable Solomon Islands to retain preferential market access to the EU market, on a reciprocal basis.

”We have to go through the reciprocal trading arrangements so that it will be compatible with the World Trade Organisation (WTO),” he says.

Ma’ahanua explained that by being a member of WTO, Solomon Islands had been able to benefit from the trading systems under the WTO mechanisms including having an equal voice with the developed countries that are the big economies of the world.

WTO is the intergovernmental organisation that regulates international trade.

He says the way the iEPA is structured, goes hand in hand with the multilateral trading system.

He says for so long, Solomon Islands had been enjoying the benefits of a Least Developed Country (LDC).

He says now under this initiative of iEPA, Solomon Islands will have to go through a reciprocal trading system with other countries.

He says by signing up to iEPA Solomon Islands will be able to identify its needs and by identifying these needs, will be able to get assistance from different avenues in the trade agreements.

“When we sign onto the agreement and we take on board the obligation that comes with it, the flexibility will be slightly different. In our case, we are still considered a Least Develop Country (LDC) but within three years we will graduate to a Developing Country and things will be different.”

He says the work done now will be able to assist Solomon Islands transit into the next phase without much mishap.

Ma’ahanua says the EU market is critical to Solomon Islands exports and there are wider considerations at play for Solomon Islands in its decision to accede to the iEPA.

“Such as revenue implications, there are certainly benefits to be accrued through economic integration with more flexible global sourcing rules of origin for fisheries, a predictable and transparent trading environment for private sector, reduced barriers to trade through the preferential market access and the potential to contribute to employment generation and economic growth.”

He says the workshop yesterday was to review the work carried out by consultant firm A-Z since February 8, 2018.

“And receive a summary of the work executed including legal compliance framework, implementation gaps and proposed projects, summary of fiscal considerations and private sector market opportunities.”

Ma’ahanua told Island Sun that the sooner we prepare ourselves the better it would be rather than entering the agreement without preparing ourselves.

He says for trade agreements it is better that a country enter a negotiated framework first. He says there will be stiff conditions and it is not advisable for Solomon Islands to enter the agreement without the negotiation framework.

He says iEPA is a positive step forward for Solomon Islands and will greatly benefit Solomon Islanders in the future.