Solomon Prime Minister defends appointment of AG as procedural

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, says the appointment of Australian lawyer, Julian Moti as Solomon Islands new Attorney General is procedural.

Mr Sogavare says the appointment was made by the Legal and Judicial Services Commission which is headed by the Chief Justice upon his recommendation.

He says as the Prime Minister, he had the powers under Solomon Islands constitution to recommend a suitable qualified person for the post of Attorney General.

He says the decision to recommend Mr Moti was based on his legal qualifications and understanding of Solomon Islands laws and the constitution.

The Prime says a Graduate Diploma was higher than a Bachelor Degree and that media assumptions that Mr Moti only had a Diploma in Legal Practice was a total lie and defamatory.

The Prime Minister says previous governments had also made recommendations on persons they wanted for the post of Attorney General just as he had done.

Mr Sogavare says if people had problem with government decisions then they should take up the matter through the court and not in the media.

The Prime Minister says he was not at all moved by comments against the appointment of Mr Moti for the Attorney General post.

Source: SIBC