BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Police officers from Taskforce Janus rearrested the former Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development (MID), Henry Murray, yesterday for his four-year imprisonment.
According to Police media, Mr Murray was arrested in 2018 by police officers from Taskforce Janus on multiple official corruption charges, which total up to over a million dollars.
The police statement said that between 2014 and 2017, Murray and his wife operated a company called Krash Transport and Marketing, which corruptly received payments from MID.
It adds that Murray was convicted by the Honiara Central Magistrates’ Court in 2019 and sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment. However, he subsequently appealed the conviction and was released on bail pending the outcome.
The statement said that on May 5, 2025, all grounds of appeal were dismissed by the High Court and the court ordered that the original sentence be reinstated and commence immediately.
Following the arrest, supervising Commissioner Ian Vaevaso said this case highlights the dangers of public officials’ engagement in activities that involve conflicts of interest, particularly where family members are involved.
Vaevaso said public officers need to be aware of their legal obligations to act honestly and without bias at all times. Public officers must always remain impartial and independent in carrying out their duties to maintain the public’s confidence in the government.
The Police statement said that Vaevaso said this has been a long, complex and prolonged investigation. But the outcome is a testimony to the dedication and hard work of Taskforce Janus and the prosecutors from the Director of Public Prosecutions.Â
“It demonstrates that senior public officials can and will be held accountable for wrongdoing. The long hands of the law will reach you despite how long it takes,” Vaevaso said yesterday.
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