SENTENCES for 2019 National General Election (NGE) candidates for East Honiara and Temotu-Pele Constituencies who breached the Electoral Act will be delivered next Tuesday.
The matters of John Kabolo and William C Tolei were listed before the Honiara Magistrate’s Court for sentences yesterday.
However, Deputy Chief Magistrate did not deliver the sentences as he was engaged in a trial and adjourned the matters for sentences next week.
Kabolo and Tolei had on a previous court date pleaded guilty to the charge of Election Expenses and Donation.
Kabolo had contested the East Honiara seat, whilst Tolei contested the Temotu-Pele Constituency during the NGE in 2019.
However, they had both failed to provide their statement of accounts to specify the expenses and source of funds used during the 2019 NGE before the deadline on 29 July 2019, hence breached section 69 of the Electoral Act 2018.
Another 2019 NGE candidate who already pleaded guilty to this offence is Casper Muna.
He contested the Central Makira constituency in 2019 NGE.
Sentencing submissions and mitigation will be made on his matter next Friday.
Meanwhile, the matters of another two 2019 NGE candidates, Elima Percy and Victor Alikivara will return to court on October 14.
They both appeared in the Honiara Magistrate’s Court but were yet to be legally represented.
The court heard the Public Solicitor’s Office will be allocating lawyers to represent them in the meantime.
Percy contested the Central Honiara, whilst Alikivara was a candidate for the South Guadalcanal Constituency.
Section 69 of the Electoral Act requires all successful and unsuccessful candidates who contested the 2019 NGE and other NGEs thereafter to file with the Chief Electoral Officer their statement of accounts within 90 days after the publication of the NGE election result.
The penalty for breaching Section 69 as stipulated in the offence under Section 125(2) is $20,000 fine or two years imprisonment or both.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
