The Court of Appeal has deferred the matter of the former fugitive Edmond Sae, who was acquitted of the murder of the former police Commissioner Fredrick Soaki in 2017, to April 9.
This was because the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ronald Bei Talasasa, who deals with this matter, is currently sick.
Sae’s matter was listed to be heard in the Court of Appeal sitting last Thursday.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has appealed Sae’s verdict and entire decision including the manslaughter conviction pronounced at the No Case to Answer Stage, as well as other matters on the sentence.
Sae was acquitted of the murder of Sir Frederick due to inconsistencies of the evidences from the Crown witnesses.
Witnesses were also not able to identify Sae as the masked gun man who shot Sir Frederick on the early evening of 10 February 2003 at Auki Motel in Malaita.
Justice John Brown having acquitted Sae of Sir Frederick’s murder, however, found him guilty of the manslaughter of a prisoner at the Auki Police Station on 30 April 2003.
Sae escaped from police custody on 22 April 2003 after he was arrested for the murder of Sir Frederick.
A week later, he went to the Auki Police Station where he fired gun shots which resulted in the death of a prisoner who was hit by a bullet.
At Auki police station, he fired shots which resulted in the death of a prisoner.
Sae was recaptured in 2015 in Malaita.
The verdict on 8 November 2017 came after a lengthy trial.
The trial has been conducted in a closed court from the media and the public due to fears expressed by prosecution witnesses.
The hearing of evidences in this trial continued on throughout 2017 except during the months of the Court of Appeal sittings and few other times when counsels were not available.
It finally ended on 10 October 2017.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
