A former High Court judge has urged the police to dig deeper in their investigation of the Mbikeisland shooting.
Australian Stephen Pallaras made the comments after police arrested one suspect in relation to the incident, which occurred on 9 December last year.
Jim Aita is being held in custody on charges of threatening with firearm, discharging firearm in public, and arson.
Pallaras told the Sunday Star from Australia the arrest of just one man a month after the shooting shows police are yet to start the real investigation.
“The investigation has not yet begun and police must have the courage to investigate up the line no matter how far or to whom it leads,” Pallaras said..
“To do otherwise is to bend their knees to corrupt influences or, just as bad, to reveal a lack of courage in serving the people of Solomon Islands. I plead with the police and the prosecutors to please do your job”.
He said it was strange and suspicious that the police could only arrest one man for the gang attack on politicians and civilians at Mbike.
“Does anyone else think that it is curious, strange or suspicious that this obvious scapegoat has only been charged in relation to discharging a firearm or similar when any first year law student or first year police constable could tell you that the offending constituted at least attempted murder?
“How do you shoot dozens of bullets at unarmed people and set fire to a boat when you know that there are several people on it and get away with such inadequate and pathetic charges?
“Who has been influencing the decisions that have led to these results – because no honest politician or lawyer could ever have come to the view that the charges are appropriate?”
Police say they are still investigating the case and believed five other suspects were involved.
Aita is an employee of Lion Heart Company.
Court documents show on the afternoon of 8 December 2014, a boat operating under the Breakwater Café in Honiara known as Sun Express, transported 17 MPs to Mbike Island.
The MPs were out on a retreat ahead of the prime minister’s election the next day.
But police say between 2am and 3am on 9 December 2014, a group of armed men arrived at the resort in a fibreglass boat with firearms and discriminately fired at Sun Express and towards the resort.
It was alleged that soon after the gun firing, the armed men, including Aita, poured petrol at the back of Sun Express before setting it alight.
But unlucky for the armed men, the fire flame returned to their boat from the poured fuel.
Out of fear and danger, they threw out two filled containers of fuel into the sea and quickly fled the scene.
The court documents revealed that crew members of Sun Express boat swiftly attended to their boat and put off the fire just in time.
Police believed the motive for the shooting was to destroy Sun Express and prevented it from returning the MPs back to Honiara in time for the election.
At that time, the battle between the two groups vying to form the next government was fierce.
MPs who were targeted in this incident returned in time to elect their candidate, Manasseh Sogavare, to be the next prime minister.
By CHARLEY PIRINGI
