Dear Editor – We the chiefs of Sosoko customary land in South Choiseul Vasiduki area wish to question a CID officer namely Fredrick Tagi of Honiara Police Headquarters as to how and why he accompanied Dilenty Pitavoga on his private boat going around Choiseul (South and North), during which he interviewed certain people of his Topara tribe.
People of Topara tribe had asked the police officer Fredrick Tagi if he possessed a High Court Order to carry out such dubious mission and his reply was none.
It was later revealed that the police officer Fredrick Tagi has a secret agenda, and was believed to have been paid by a logging company through Dilenty Pitavoga____s arrangement where they intended to interfere in a civil proceeding that Chief Sesomo filed against them and successfully obtained an injunctive order from the High Court under civil case No. 498/2015 on their past illegal logging activities on Sosoko land by an Asian Logging company.
Chief Moses Sesomo called on the Commissioner of Police to investigate the action taken by Fredrick Tagi to establish whether it was the Police Central Honiara that had met his airfare and allowance or was it privately sponsored by Dilenty Pitavoga under a logging company’s budget to interview and misconstrue statements.
Our people of Topara tribe when they saw the police officer from Honiara accompanied by Dilenty Pitavoga with his son Jacky Chite believed this Fredrick Tagi’s action is biased and illegal.
We wish to remind Dilenty Pitavoga, his associates and CID officer Fredrick Tagi that a customary chiefs decision of Senga House of Chiefs dated 14th December 2016 had superseded the document which they had relied on to have contained names and signature of his supporters.
This is where the CID Police Fredrick Tagi intended to manipulate in collaboration with Dilenty Pitavoga where they intend to create false impression and accusation through bribery purportedly to manufacture a criminal offence according to their secret agenda.
However, that piece of document they intend to manipulate had already been overtaken or superseded by virtue of the Senga House of Chiefs decision dated 14th December 2016 which gave Chief Moses Sesomo power according to custom over Sosoko land as chief of Topara tribe.
Therefore, that document relied on by Dilenty Pitavoga and his associates become non effective in law and in custom with regards to “Power Struggle” over Sosoko land issue.
Chief Sesomo further highlighted that a chief had power in law under section 12 of the Local Court Act, to determine in custom, Dilenty Pitavoga’s right in custom to Sosoko customary land and Topara Tribe is “banished” or “cut off”.
In Choiseul custom referred Vaekodoko where it means Dilenty Pitavoga does no longer has any right whatsoever in custom over Topara tribe and Sosoko Customary land issues and its resources.
Therefore Chief Sesomo of Topara Tribe questioned what power in custom and in law both Dilenty Pitavoga and Fred Tagi, a police officer, have in their possession to go around and threatening certain members of Topara Tribe to prosecute?
A High Court Case No. 498/2015 is forthcoming to reveal true facts and evidences on the fate of Dilenty Pitavoga’s past illegal logging activities of 12 shipments of export round logs from Sosoko land that had self-benefited him and his family.
Chief Moses Sesomo
Choiseul
