Sacked HCC Clerk ‘spill the beans’ in latest report to the PAC
THE eighteen months of the leadership of former Honiara City Mayor, Wilson Mamae and former Clerk, Rence Sore was full of political in-fighting and administrative interferences by HCC Councilors, it was revealed.
Mr. Sore exposed the political fiasco in his recent report to the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which reveals in detail the political interference in the Management of the Honiara City Council (HCC).
These political interferences in the management of the City Council led to the ousting of the City Mayor, on the 29th day of March 2021, Sore said.
In the submission to the PAC on April 2021, the report is calling for the dissolution of the City Council, under Section 52 (2) o the Honiara City Act 1999.
The report which was sighted by the Solomon Star further exposes the;
- findings of the Special Investigation Audit report, and
- breach of Tenancy Agreement, kickbacks and conflict of interests in the arrangement of the Market Lock Up Shops.
There are also new revelations in the report. They are;
- the Honiara City Council Vehicle Tender Scams,
- the Kukum Market Contracts,
- the reclaim of Lawson Tama Field, and
- the unexplained wealth of senior HCC officials.
It also makes implications on National Commitments by the government of Solomon Islands – the Pacific Games 2023 and Football Development in the country.
“In submitting these justifications for dissolution of the city council, I admit that the act of dissolution of the council is a serious matter, but the process begins with concrete evidence of political interference that is presented in this report which links Councilors to meddling in the affairs of management of the city council,” Sore said, in the report’s conclusion.
He added, he remain faithful to the service of the Government of Solomon Islands and herein recommend Dissolution of Honiara City Council and appointment of a Competent Authority.
However, responding to queries over the former HCC Clerk’s report, Honiara City’s two-week old Lord Mayor, Eddie Siapu said the report is a new version apart from the one submitted to the PAC earlier.
“The response to the Audit Report which was brought before the PAC was prepared by the Clerk himself.
“He created the new version just to save him from being terminated as Clerk,” Mayor Siapu said.
“If I did not intervene with four (4) Councilors to cross the floor during the No Confidence Motion to remove Wilson Mamae as Mayor, we will still continue to complain about all his (Sore’s) wrong doings,” he further stated, in a text sent to the Solomon Star on April 16th, 2021 – a day after the Mayor’s election
Meanwhile, in the coming days, Solomon Star will uncover in detail the names of the Councilors and Senior HCC staff that have strings attached to alleged corruption that is destroying the image of the HCC.
