Transparency Solomon Islands asks government to explain

Transcript

Transparency Solomon Islands is asking the government to explain to the public what's behind it's decision to settle out of court with the former attorney general, Julian Moti.

Julian Moti was the Solomon Islands Attorney General between 2006 and 2007, but was deported to Australia at the end of 2007 to face child sex charges.

However, the Australian High Court ordered a stay of charges in 2011 after it ruled he had been illegally deported, and the Solomon Islands government has recently indicated it will settle with Mr Moti over the issue.

Bob Pollard from Transparency Solomon Islands told Leilani Momoisea that it's unclear why the government is rushing to settle, because Mr Moti isn't believed to have lodged a claim yet.

Bob Pollard: We're not against a out of court settlement, but we are saying that Moti, he has a right to lodge a claim, but he should lodge a claim first, before the Solomon Islands government jumps to settle out of court. What are the claims that he would make? I think it's important that he has a right, but he needs to exercise that right and to make a claim to the Solomon Islands government through the courts. From our understanding it hasn't happened yet and we believe it would be inappropriate for the government to jump to the act of settling out of court when there's been no basis established.

Leilani Momoisea: And what's the benefit do you think for the public of going through that court process?

BP: Firstly, I think the onus has to be put on Moti to to establish the basis of why the government should pay, and there may not be a basis, there may not be a basis for any payment whatsoever. And until that's clearly established, why is the government in a hurry to pay Moti, I think the government has plenty more priorities, pressing matters here on the Solomon Islands fund than paying the possibly large amount of money to Moti, for no basis.

LM: So basically, more transparency around the issue, is what you're asking for.

BP: Yeah, we've really got two main points here, it's transparency around the issue, to get Moti to establish the grounds first, and then those grounds can be considered. But our second concern is the government, not only has it not waited for Moti to establish the grounds, but it's send off the current Attorney General, who is a former colleague of Moti, to a be a principle negotiator, with Moti on the settlement. That in our view is inappropriate, a clear conflict of interest and he shouldn't be engaged in the matter, so those are our two primary concerns.  
 
Bob Pollard says this has been a long, on-going saga, but the government is mixing legal and political issues, and it should be dealt with simply as a legal issue.