PNGDF Inquiry to travel to Honiara to interview Moti and others

The controversial Julian Moti may be summoned to appear before the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) board of inquiry when it convenes in Honiara, Solomon Islands, next week.

Moti, the Australian lawyer of Indo-Fijian origin was arrested while transiting through Port Moresby, upon Australia's request, while on his way from Asia to Honiara to take up his Attorney General's post in September las year.

However, while awaiting charges in PNG and being holed in the Solomon Islands High Commission office in Port Moresby for more than a week, a suspicious top level deal was struck resulting in a secret cladestine escape to Munda in Solomon Islands in the early hours of October 10 last year. Immediately after that, the PNG government set up the inquiry to determine who authorised the secret flight.

Yesterday, John Kawi, the senior counsel assisting the inquiry told reporters in PNG that the inquiry was coordinating with the PNG High Commission in Honiara to line up interviews with anyone in the Solomon Islands who may be of assistance to the inquiry.

The board of inquiry is interested to interview Julian Moti. However, it is not certain if Moti will be willing to talk to the board. The PNG Defence Force Board of Inquiry will travel to Honiara next Monday and return on Feb 2.

Meanwhile, the PNG Police Commissioner Gari Baki has offered assistance to train Solomon Island police cadet officers and forensic officers in Papua New Guinea.

Mr Baki said the cadets would be trained at the Bomana Police Training College outside Port Moresby while forensic officers would be attached with their PNG colleagues at the forensic laboratory, also in Port Moresby. He revealed this during the decommissioning of six community police officers who were involved in the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) operation at the Hideaway Hotel in Port Moresby last Saturday.

Source: PNG National