Sin refused bail
A MAGISTRATE last Friday refused the bail application for the Malaysian facing a human trafficking charge.
Principal Magistrate Ricky Iomea ruled that there is probable risk of the accused Wong Thien Sin interfering with prosecution witnesses and investigation.
“I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the risk of interference in the circumstances of this case is real and is therefore sufficient to deny bail to the applicant,” Mr Iomea said.
Mr Iomea made his ruling after considering the bail application and prosecution’s response to the bail application.
Some of the grounds for bail as relied on by the defence were that the Sin is entitled to bail were that, Sin has denied the offence, the nature and seriousness of the offence do not automatically disqualify Sin from bail, there is no flight risk, Sin promised to comply with the court order and that Sin promised not to interfere with prosecution witnesses, police officers and Immigration Officers.
The prosecution however opposed the bail application and one grounds for its opposition of bail was the ‘real’ risk of Sin will work through his network agent to interfere with Crown witnesses.
A sworn statement by Chief Immigration Officer Chris Akosawa was also filed in court in support of the opposition to bail by the prosecution.
Mr Akosawa is a member of the Taskforce consisting of Immigration Officers and Police that visited Vella La Vella in the Western Province and informed the prosecution that Sin’s employer has made arrangements for the alleged victim and her parents and village elders to travel to Honiara.
The prosecution also opposed the bail application given that this is the first ever human trafficking case that has come before the courts in Solomon Islands and it is important that investigation by the taskforce is not disturbed with interference from Sin or his agents.
Another ground for opposing bail is because the offence involves network of people who facilitate or harbour and receive benefit from trafficking activities and that if Sin is released he would interfere and influence the parents and village elders to support him from prosecution.
Police Prosecutor Andrew Kelesi informed the court when opposing the bail application that police will arrest and charge parents of a girl who allegedly forces their under-aged daughter to live with a Malaysian logger.
He also told the court the taskforce made up of police and Immigration officers have strong evidence to also prosecute parents of the girl and some of the village elders who were engaged in supporting and facilitating the re-trafficking of the victim by transporting and controlling, including receiving benefits from the perpetrator, who continued to sexually exploit the girl from the month of December, 2016 until 28th August, 2017.
Sin, an employee of Malaysian logging giant Earthmovers is facing one count of human trafficking under the section 77 of the Immigration Act 2012.
He was accused of carrying out internal human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation between 30 November 2015 and January 2016.
The prosecution alleged that Sin had a sexual relationship with a 13 year-old girl in 2015 up until 2016.
The alleged incident occurred at a logging camp in Isabel Province where the accused was working as a manager at the logging camp at that time of the alleged incident.
The father of the girl was also working at that logging camp.
The camp belongs to Jubilant Development Logging, an offshoot of Earth Movers logging company.
That logging company has a camp in Isabel as well as in Vella La Vella.
It was alleged the accused started living with the girl at the Isabel logging camp.
He also took the girl with him when he was transferred to the camp at Vella La Vella.
Sin was arrested after a joint operation made up of police and immigration officers investigated the matter following a media article on the matter.
Youths pleaded guilty to stealing huge cash
TWO young men who were arrested and charged for stealing substantial amounts of money from a vehicle at Kukum, east Honiara, have admitted the crime.
A 17-year-old male juvenile and Tom Gagame Junior, 19, entered guilty pleas to the charge of simple larceny last Thursday before Principal Magistrate Augustine Aulanga.
This was when they were brought by police to the Honiara Central Magistrate’s Court for a remand application.
Both accused informed the court that they wanted to represent themselves and decided to enter guilty pleas to the charge.
They were then remanded in custody to appear again on September 21 for the sentencing submissions and mitigation on their matter.
The incident occurred between 11 am and 7pm on 11 September 2017 at Kukum.
The complainant from Philippines, who worked as a shop Manager for MTJS Mini Mart at Kukum Highway, parked his vehicle behind the MTJS Mini Mart shop at around 11am after going to the bank.
He left $10,000 of local currently and $5,000 USD and a green bag containing two pair of sports shoes in his locked vehicle.
He then went to the shop and continued with his normal business.
The court heard at 7pm he closed the shop and went and opened his vehicle when he discovered his money and green bag were missing from where he placed them.
After asking around for any sightings of any person who might have tried to exchange US dollars in the nearby shops, he was informed that one woman was seen exchanging a $100 USD at Good Luck shop.
The complainant then went and took his $100 USD from Good Luck shop.
That woman told the complainant that a juvenile gave her that money and asked her to go and do the exchange.
Following this information, the juvenile was arrested and he had admitted to being responsible for opening the car using a piece of steel rod and an aluminium wire.
He further admitted that he only took the $5,000 US from under the car’s speed pedal and later opened the back boot where he took the green bag containing the two shoes.
He also admitted that he left the car unlocked and ran away with the money and bag containing the shoes.
Police later recovered $1,200 USD and the green bag containing the two shoes from the juvenile’s aunty at Jackson Ridge, Honiara, while $2,500 USD was recovered from the juvenile’s uncle.
A further $500 USD was recovered from a security guard at Kukum.
Meanwhile, the second accused, Gagame in his recorded interview said the door of the car was not locked when he opened it.
He admitted to opening the door and finding $10,000 SBD and taking and sharing it among his friends.
Police had so far recovered the $4,500 USD, $700 SBD, one green bag with two pairs of shoes.
Temotu Speaker faces Corruption charges
SPEAKER of the Temotu Provincial Assembly Johnson Levela has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of official corruption and conversion when he appeared in the Lata Magistrate Court last week.
Levela pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of conversion and seven counts of Official Corruption when he appeared in the court.
A pre-trial conference was then conducted on Friday.
Principal Magistrate Fatima Taeburi then had listed his matter for a three weeks trial in the next court circuit to Lata.
No date has been fixed yet for next Magistrate’s Court sitting at Lata but that will be made know later to counsels by the Central Magistrates’ Court clerks.
Levela was accused of committing the offences on different occasions when he was the Premier for Temotu Province.
It was alleged that at the time Levela was the premier, Earth Movers (SI) Ltd, Tremax Shipping and Trading, Temotu Shipping Limited and Sol fish Company were operating various activities in Temotu Province.
Earth Movers Company has conducted logging operations in Temotu Province in 2006.
Tremax Shipping was engaged in shipping and trading services activities in the form of shipping and buying of local products such as marine, forest and Agriculture products.
It was alleged that as a result, in a meeting held with Finance and Treasury Division Officials on 27th October 2008 to strengthen revenue collections and to update Business license register, it was unveiled that the accused has been collecting several business licence fees from these companies for his personal use and never paid it to the Temotu Provincial government account.
The accused allegedly wrote numerous letters to these companies’ managements soliciting for payments to be made to him and have informed them that the figures be deducted from business licences.
It is alleged that he obtained those monies and never paid to the Temotu Provincial government account.
Tremax Shipping and Trading was a registered business entity and has engaged in shipping and trading services.
The company was owned by Thompson Numo, a business man from Temotu Province and has operated in Temotu at the time when the accused was premier.
According to the case, Temotu Shipping line Ltd (TSLL) was established by the Temotu Development Authority (TDA) as its subsidiary company.
It has its own Board of Directors and Management. According to the TDA ordinance, it prohibits politicians to be appointed members of both Boards (TDA and TSLL).
It was alleged that the accused was also appointed as one of the Board of Directors at that time he was the premier and allegedly made numerous advances for his personal benefit in the sum of $33,145.00 which were never repaid.
Prosecution alleged that it was at the time of his directorship that the Temotu Shipping line limited broke down.
Solfish Company was said to be a registered company in Solomon Islands and has been continually providing services to Provinces in Solomon Islands.
In 2006, Solfish Company Managing Director Antonio Lee applied to TPG for a business licence to operate its business in Temotu.
The company’s intention was to provide service to the remote islands in the Province in terms of shipping and commodity trading as according to the allegation.
It was further alleged that the accused has also solicited several payments from Solfish for his own benefit without paying the Temotu Provincial Government.
It was also alleged that the Earth Movers Company was obliged to pay the amount of $30,000 being for its business licence fee per annum to Temotu Provincial Government (TPG).
The accused also allegedly solicited several payments for business licences but never paid the Temotu Provincial government account.
Ben Alasia of Public Solicitor’s Office represents Levela while Public Prosecutor Bradley Dalipanda is prosecuting.
Murray disclosures ready for submission
DISCLOSURES on the case of the suspended Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development Henry Murray and his wife, who were accused of defrauding the government of more than $1.1 million, will soon be provided to their lawyers.
This was confirmed last Friday when the matter was mentioned in the Honiara Magistrates’ Court.
Leslie Kwaiga of L & L Lawyers, who represented Murray and his wife Rose, told the court he received a call from the prosecution advising him disclosures were ready and want a seven-day adjournment.
He also made applications to vary two of his clients’ bail conditions, to which Principal Magistrate Ricky Iomea granted.
The previous twice-a-week reporting by his clients to Naha Police Station has now been varied to once a week and the condition ‘not to leave Honiara town boundary” was amended to ‘not to leave Guadalcanal Province.’
Mr Kwaiga said this is basically for the safety of his client as nowadays it is very confusing as to the exact boundaries of Honiara Town.
Mr Kwaiga also made an application requesting a list of all properties belonging to his client that were confiscated in the course of raid and arrest.
This matter has been adjourned from the last court appearance to allow the file to be transferred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions from the Police Prosecutions and that was done.
Public Prosecutor Rajah Patrick Abe, who appeared yesterday, confirmed this and added that his colleague Florence Joel will be in carriage of this matter.
Mr Iomea having heard from both the prosecution and the defence counsel and after granting the bail variations adjourned the matter to September 22.
He directed the prosecution to have the disclosures served to the defence before that date to enable the defence to get instructions from his clients.
Mr Iomea also directed prosecution to make a list of all properties belonging to the accused that were confiscated in the course of raid and arrest to be made to the defence.
Bails for Murray and his wife were extended.
Murray is facing 19 counts of official corruption while his wife faces 19 counts of false pretence both appeared yesterday in the Honiara Magistrates’ Court.
They were arrested by the anti-corruption taskforce JANUS.
Both were charged in relation to a company they allegedly set up in 2014, not long after Murray was appointed permanent secretary, and which received $1, 151,850 of public funds approved by Murray.
Prosecution alleged they registered the Krash Transport & Marketing as a business with the Company Haus on 11 February 2014.
They then allegedly opened an ANZ bank account to which they were both signatories.
It was alleged that on 15 August 2014, the defendant and his wife registered the business entity Krash Transport and Marketing with the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) of the Ministry of Finance & Treasury (MoFT) for tax purposes.
Between April 2014 and May 2017, it was alleged Krash Transport and Marketing have entered into agreements with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development on 19 occasions.
These agreements as alleged have been for the hire of motor vehicles for personnel of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, including the Permanent Secretary Murray himself.
Police alleged that the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, through the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, has made payments of $1, 151,850 to Krash Transport and Marketing for motor vehicle hires.
These payments, which were allegedly made through cheques and electronic funds transfers, were deposited into their ANZ account in the name of Krash Transport and Marketing.
On majority of the occasions, Murray allegedly granted the authority for payments to be made to Krash Transport and Marketing on the Solomon Islands Government Purchase Requisition and it was his endorsement and authority as the permanent secretary that sanctioned the payments.
Murray allegedly signed a Vehicle Hire Agreement between Krash Transport and Marketing and the Ministry of Infrastructure Development authorising the hire of the motor vehicles registered to Krash Transport and Marketing.
Police also alleged that many of the Vehicle Hire Agreements signed authorised payments for the hire of the vehicle driven by the PS, a vehicle that is registered in the name of Krash Transport and Marketing, the business entity owned and operated by Murray and his wife.
It was further alleged that Murray has entered into agreements with his own business, through the guise of his wife’s assumed maiden name of Tome (in this case Rose Tome), to cloud the issue of ownership for a vehicle he has exclusive use of on daily basis.
