THE trial of former Member of Parliament Temotu VATUD Constituency and former Temotu Premier Clay Soalaoi Forau, who was accused of converting over $350,000 of his constituency project fund in 2012, has ended.
Soalaoi stood trial for 14 counts of conversion before Principal Magistrate Fatima Taeburi.
The prosecution called a total of nine witnesses when the trial started early this year and then recalled two witnesses before closing its case on Wednesday last week.
The defence yesterday closed its case after calling Soalaoi and a former Temotu VATUD Constituency Project Officer to the witness box.
Soalaoi, in his evidence, denied converting the $350,890 belonging to Temotu VATUD Constituency between 2012 and 2014.
At that time, he was the MP for Temotu VATUD Constituency.
The money was purposely for a Cocoa Industry Support Scheme and Rehabilitation of Coconut Industry Program.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant had on 14 occasions between 19 October 2012 and 31 October 2014 fraudulently converted the total of 350,890 for his own benefit.
Soalaoi, however, denied those allegations.
In his evidence, he said all along he thought his former Constituency Officer (CDO) submitted an acquittal report.
Soalaoi said he only came to know that no acquittal report was submitted when police approached him for this case.
Soalaoi explained that it is a requirement for a constituency to provide an acquittal report to the Ministry of Rural Development to continue receive funding.
He said his constituency continued to receive funding for various projects which means it always provided its acquittal report.
The court heard that it is the responsibility of a CDO to write reports, including retirements and acquittals.
In this case, Soalaoi said he thought his CDO at that time submitted the acquittal report for this project because he submitted acquittal reports for previous projects.
He was also shown exhibits of the names of applicants for the project but he said the list contained the names given to him by his former CDO and not the list of names he gave him to work on.
“I told him to only work on the list of names I gave him for the project.
Soalaoi said he later found that the former CDO listed the names of those who promised to vote for him in the 2014 National General Election.
“I started to suspect he want to tarnish my name so I will not win the 2014 NGE because I later found he also contested the 2014 NGE, against me.
“And that actually happened. I lost the seat in 2014.”
Soalaoi said when he went around doing his campaign for the 2014 NGE, people would tell him the former CDO told them things about him which were not true.
“While I expected him to work with me, he turned around against me.
Closing submissions on this matter will be made in court on 14 June.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
