FORMER Honiara City Council (HCC) Finance Chairman Councillor Billy Abae had verbally threatened the City Clerk Rence Sore under the influence of alcohol in the HCC Headquarter on the week before the lockdown.
This was revealed to the local media by City Clerk Rence Sore during a press conference, Monday
However, Cr Abae outrightly denied the claim when Solomon Star contacted him.
Cr Abae said he was not drunk when he was there at HCC office to ask for his ward grant.
During the press conference, Sore said that with due respect to Cr Abae who was very vocal in the media attacking the good work of HCC is nothing more than a frustrated man trying to blame others for his own misfortunes.
“He is frustrated because the executive terminated him and as if to add more fuel to the fire as it were, his unprofessional conduct in demanding me a week ago to pay his ward grant,” Sore said.
Sore said that he has advised the HCC Accounts section that unless he is satisfied with Abae’s retirement, the ward grant payable to him would not be released.
“I refused to release his ward grant because of non-compliance purposes.
“Abae failed to retire his ward grant for 2019’s final quarter and again for the first quarter of 2020,” Sore explained.
Sore told the local media that Cr Abae was in his office threatening him saying that he would not leave the office without his signed ward grant cheque.
He further added that the HCC law enforcement officers have to step in to remove Cr Abae from the City Clerk’s office and eventually from the HCC premises after he resisted.
“All the actions done by Cr Abae last week was captured on CCTV if you want evidence,” Sore added.
He added that he was threatened; therefore he could not attend official working hours last week.
The press conference organised by HCC Clerk was to respond to all the allegations which were thrown against the HCC, Clerk and the appointed councillor John Szetu.
Sore further called on Cr Abae and other critics to forward their allegations of misconduct in office to the Leadership Code Commission (LCC) with evidence to support their claims rather than using the media for political gains.
“We will only allow the court to deal with such wild allegations,” Sore said.
By ANDREW FANASIA
