The prosecution and the defence will be sorting out strings of charges for a man accused of abducting a Chinese man and assaulting him in 2013.
Lawyer representing Eddie Funubana has made a proposal to the prosecution seeking withdrawal and reduction of some of the charges against Funubana.
It was while going through the charges yesterday that the court found that the defence has only seven charges while the court and prosecution has nine charges.
The nine charges are abducting in order to subject person to grievous harm, demanding with menace, assault causing actual bodily harm, threatening or abusive behaviour, consumption of liquor, driver to be licenced, vehicle to be licenced, larceny from person and burglary.
The defence made the proposal in respect to the charges of grievous harm, driver to be licenced, vehicle to be licenced and larceny from person.
However, since the charges need to be sorted out first, Principal Magistrate Jim Seuika adjourned the matter to September 20.
Funubana was alleged to be the bus driver in the bus used in the alleged offending and is co-accused with three others, David Rongota, 22, Philip Finiga, 20, and Joshua Rautofea, 23, who are all under warrant of arrests since 2014.
The accused was also under a warrant of arrest but was arrested by police and remanded in custody.
All the charges except for burglary, were in relation to the allegation in June 2013, where Funubana and his co-accused allegedly abducted a Chinese national and demanded him to pay $100,000 before they would set him free.
The alleged victim got in the bus at the Ranadi round- about in east Honiara intending to return home to China Town.
It was alleged that the bus driver then ordered the only two female passengers off the bus and then changed direction heading back up to East Guadalcanal.
At Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited (GPPOL), the accused allegedly held the man at a knife point and ordered him to give them $100,000 or they would kill him.
Police alleged they beat him up and also stole his mobile phone and $200 cash.
They then allegedly took the Chinese all the way down to west Honiara and further to West Guadalcanal where he luckily escaped through a window when the bus had a tyre puncture.
The Chinese was picked up by a Hilux and dropped off at the Central Police Station where he reported the matter to police.
The burglary charge was in relation to a separate incident.
Clifton Ruele of Public Solicitor’s Office is representing Funubana while Police Prosecutor Iete Tebakota is representing the State.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
