Jerry Brunt, the head judge at the center of the Miss Pacific Islands pageant controversy, says he is unfairly caught in a political storm after being prevented from leaving the Solomon Islands.
Brunt, a lawyer and hotelier from Samoa, attempted to fly home from Honiara on Monday but was blocked at the airport. “I was given no reason,” he told the ABC, adding that he is now consulting with his lawyers. “I will contact you when I arrive home on safer soils.”
The controversy erupted after Miss Samoa, Litara Ieremia-Allan, won the crown in a tiebreaker against Miss Tonga, Racheal Guttenbeil. Online speculation quickly turned into accusations that Brunt had favoured his compatriot in the deciding vote.
“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Brunt told In-depth Solomons. “It’s impossible for me to rig any scoresheets in front of thousands of eyes.” He said the allegations are baseless. “God is my witness.”
His wife Fiaailetoa Charlotte Chan Mow-Brunt said Leiataualesa will return to Samoa by Wednesday morning.
“He’s not detained, he just had a stop notice but not locked up or anything,” said Fiaailetoa in an interview with the Samoa Observer.
Samoa has formally requested an explanation from the Solomon Islands government for Brunt’s travel restriction.
Meanwhile, pageant organizers say they will address the controversy once internal reviews are completed. “The delay is unfortunate,” they said in a statement. “We must ensure all information is verified before making an announcement.”
This is a developing story.
