Sacked Temotu provincial minister of natural resources Fr Brown Beu has slammed accusations levelled at him as basis for his termination Premier Nelson Menale last week.
Beu received his marching orders last Thursday after Premier Menale accused him of undermining his leadership.
Premier Menale stated he was suspicious of Beu indulging in scrupulous deals with a foreign logging company as evidence by his secretive visits to Honiara without taking the courtesy of informing him about the purposes of his trips.
In a letter to Fr Beu dated 12th January 2016, sighted by the Solomon Star, Premier Menale said Fr Beu’s leadership style is a mockery to Temotu Provincial Government, which he would no longer tolerate.
“You continue to redirect the acting Provincial Secretary to reframe the Executive decisions in an attempt to give favour to Xiang Lin (SI) Ltd (logging company),” Mr Menale told Fr Beu in his termination letter.
But in his response, Beu dismissed the accusations as not true.
“My conscience still convinces me that I have acted within the bounds of the law, and it would be incorrect to assume that I have violated the law,” he told the Sunday Star.
He said Premier Menale’s claim that he had issued a grant of profit to two different logging companies who have shown interest in carrying out logging operations on Santa Cruz island was a fabrication of lies.
Fr Beu explained that he had issued business licences to the companies concerned but not grant of profit as claimed by the premier.
He said a grant of profit is a matter outside his jurisdiction, which can only be issued by the commissioner of forests and the commissioner of Lands.
He said in both cases, the award must also bear the Premier’s signature before it is legally binding and acceptable.
Fr.Beu said he bears no regrets over his sacking since he has nothing to lose.
By ELLIOT DAWEA
