Pari hits back, clarifies Premier Gina’s lies

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

PARI Development Company Limited has hit back at Western province Premier, David Gina, over his media statements which PARI says are misleading.

This comes after Western province Premier Gina in his statement yesterday welcomed the Commissioner of Lands’ move to reclaim Pari land to re-enter and take possession of Fixed Term Estates (FTE) owned by Pari development Company Ltd in Noro Western province.

Gina in his statement said the Western Province Executive welcomes the “putting back the processes in perspective” by Commissioner of Lands. Gina also claimed PARI had been selling land in Noro using fake documents in its possession.

To this, PARI Managing Director Donald Bato clarifies that PARI has not sold any land as Gina claims, nor has been using any fake documents.

“We have all the legal documents to provide,” said Bato.

Island Sun has copies of the legal documents possessed by PARI underlying the issue.

Bato said the endorsement of the application for Grant of Profit over the reminder parcel – lot 3 of LR 305/2 in Noro had been approved before the Commissioner of Lands gave 10 years of Grant of Profit.

“This was during the western Provincial government executive 9th meeting on December 5, 2012 (WPE 9(2012) 131), deliberated based on the Pari application in detail  and resolved as follows.

1.       Endorsed the application by Pari Development Ltd

2.       Granted formal consent to Pari Development to carry out logging operations on the parcel of lands being applied for, but conditions.

3.       Pari Development Ltd to consider the condition to be established by the Western provincial executive when signing the instrument (grant of profit) with the Commissioner of Lands, who is the PE holder.

“Where are the false documents that Gina claims in his statement?” Bato asks.

He said that Western provincial government has not worked closely with PARI but only sought to delay the company’s applications for the sub-division which the company had applied for.

Bato said Pari conveyed utmost disappointment with the Western Provincial Planning and Development Board in the manner they addressed Pari subdivision applications in 2018.

“We submitted an application to WPPDB requesting facilitation of approvals on seven land parcels in Noro referred to as PN.098-009-052, PN.098-009-054, PN098-011-145, PN.098-012-545, PN.098-016-001, PN. 098-016-001, PN.098-011-169 and PN.098-009-065 along with their block plans in November 21, 2018.

“These applications were never considered for deliberation until June 13, 2019 when they only approved one of the applications on PN. 098-009-054 mainly due to the fact that Solomon Submarine Cable was due to be launched soon. Note that they did not inform us of this approval until October 29, 2019, two days before the launching.

“Who is telling the truth here, the Commissioner of Lands or the Premier Gina? Bato questioned.

Bato said that this is the result of the provincial government and CoL wanting to forfeit parcels that have not been developed but Pari have done.

“As the leader you should not pin-pointing to Pari because as Premier you have never developed your land at Lembu for years now under the Parcel number 098-005-73, which covers 270.34 hectares which have never been developed.

“Can I ask the Premier why he has not developed his land since 1998 rather than personalise issues against Pari?”

Bato asks Commissioner Alan McNeil why he has not forfeited these lands under Premier Gina which are undeveloped, rather has only been resorting to finger pointing Pari.

He said that Gina has sold more of his lands to logging companies at Baeroko and never developed his land.

Bato said that as a leader “you have to be transparent in any decision making and stop pointing fingers at the company because Pari is not a foreign Investor but indigenous Solomon Islander but the leaders are being foolish to make right decisions”.

Bato said in March this year, PARI paid about $123,464.20 to Western province (Island Sun has sighted documents supporting this).

“We are complying with General Property Rate. Pari also paid more than fifty thousand dollars to Western provincial government for approval of sub-divisions for parcels 098-009-52-098-009-65, 098-0145 include other parcels.”

He said that Pari is prepared to appeal to the High Court for relief against forfeiture.

“This was base, In accordance with section 139 of the Land and Title Act, you have the right, within the period of one month, to appeal to the High Court for relief against forfeiture.”

This was after Pari received a notice of re-entry dated on May 20, 2021 from the Commissioner of Lands, Mr McNeil.

Bato said that if the Premier wants to challenge Pari, “please provide all your legal documents and challenge Pari to Court rather than bark in the media without any evidence provided to support your claims and augment”.   

Premier Gina could comment before this paper went to print last night.

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