By Losirene Lacanivalu, Cook Islands News
Diane Charlie-Puna was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment in March this year. Photo: Cook Islands News / Supplied
A high-profile inmate's work release programme was cancelled after she admitted to having breakfast at a popular eatery in Arorangi last Friday.
The Ministry of Corrective Services has confirmed that Diane Charlie-Puna's work release programme has been cancelled following an internal investigation.
The former secretary of Infrastructure Cook Islands (ICI), who was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment in March this year, was seen enjoying breakfast at the well-known café with a group of people.
Cook Islands News was alerted by onlookers. The newspaper approached Ministry of Corrective Services for comments on Friday and was informed that the inmate was on a prison work scheme release programme. The ministry said it would investigate the matter before making further comments.
Teokotai Joseph, the Secretary of the Ministry of Corrective Services, yesterday said: "As a result of your inquiry on Friday 6 September 2024, inmate Puna was interviewed by the Prison Service and she admitted to being at a Café having breakfast."
"This is a breach of her release conditions and her work release programme has been cancelled."
Charlie-Puna was released onto the Prison Work Scheme programme in May 2024 with strict conditions after serving three months' imprisonment and in accordance with the Prison policy, Joseph said.
He confirmed that Charlie-Puna was not supervised by a prison officer because she was hired out by a hirer, and the hirer was responsible for supervising the inmate.
Joseph did not provide the hirer's name.
Diane Charlie-Puna was enjoying breakfast at the well-known café with a group of people. Photo: Cook Islands News / Supplied
Cook Islands News contacted Minister for Corrective Services George "Maggie" Angene for comments yesterday.
Angene said: "I don't know what's really happening, and I don't know about the release, that's part of the Superintendent and my HoM, Tai (Joseph), they know everything about that, for me I don't know anything."
When asked if he would look into addressing this matter with his officials at the Ministry of Corrective Services, Angene replied: "I'm waiting for the outcome from the Superintendent … I want to call them tomorrow (today). I have a meeting with them tomorrow (today)."
"I don't know anything, I don't know when that thing happened, I just found out maybe midday today. I will call a meeting with my Superintendent and my Secretary, and I'll be meeting with them (today).
"The one who released this girl (Charlie-Puna) is not me, but I want to find out what's really happening."
Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party leader Teariki Heather has labelled the incident disappointing.
Heather claims that any inmate who goes to prison must serve about six months before they can participate in any work scheme.
"My comment really is that it's disappointing, and also for the Minister of Corrective Services, George Maggie, and of course Tai Joseph has been sort of saying how good the Prison Service is now because it's under his ministry, he's the minister, everything has been sweet. But there we go, and it's not the first time anyway," said Heather, the former deputy prime minister.
"For the one you just mentioned (Charlie-Puna), very disappointing, especially in these cases where public servants are under strict (condition), and yet what they've done is a real disgrace and a disappointment to this country, and to the hardworking taxpayers of this country.
"To let them out on a work scheme without supervision, that's absolutely nonsense, absolutely disappointing to the Minister."
Charlie-Puna was sentenced alongside her husband Ngatokorua Puna, the former director of National Environment Service (NES), who was sentenced to five years in prison.
They were both sentenced with former Cook Islands deputy prime minister Robert Tapaitau who is serving two years and nine months imprisonment.
The trio were convicted of taking $70,000 in public funds between April 2019 and March 2021.
Charlie-Puna was convicted for six offences that involved five cheque draws between 8 July 2019 and 7 April 2020, and conspiracy to defraud between 9 September and 11 October 2020. The sum of public money involved was $11,489.
In 2019, Charlie-Puna and her husband Nga Puna and some of their children stayed at The Edgewater Resort to celebrate her birthday at a cost of $3035 paid with an ICI cheque.
Between 16 and 18 July, as a favour to Tapaitau, she committed three cheque frauds amounting to $3454 where she authorised three ICI cheques.
On 13 January 2020 she and her husband engaged in another cheque fraud to purchase a motorbike costing $5000 for her adopted mother in Aitutaki.
Last month the Cook Islands High Court ordered that the motorcycle that was purchased with the stolen government funds be handed over to the Crown after an application for forfeiture order was made by the Solicitor General against Puna and his wife Charlie-Puna.
The application was granted by retired High Court judge Justice Dame Judith Potter.
-This story was first published by Cook Islands News.
