Miss Pacific Islands Pageant Head Judge Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt says he will demand an apology from the Tongan government after being falsely accused of vote rigging and temporarily barred from leaving the Solomon Islands.
According to a report by Samoa Global News, Brunt, a Samoan lawyer, who was prevented from boarding his flight in Honiara following allegations that he manipulated the pageant results. “We were not charged with any criminal offenses, and there was no legal basis for Solomon Islands officials to issue a travel prohibition order against us,” he said.
Brunt and fellow judge Jane Glen Canas of Vanuatu were stopped at the airport after the pageant. Solomon Islands media reported that travel prohibitions were issued for four out of five judges, but only the Samoan and Vanuatu representatives were affected.
Brunt accused Tongan judge Ma’ata Mo’ungaloa Tupou of instigating the claims after Miss Samoa was crowned instead of Miss Tonga. “This has all resulted from the pageant conspiracy pushed by Ma’ata Mo’ungaloa Tupou.” Tupou is yet to respond to Brunt’s accusation.
Solomon Star reported that a senior Solomon Islands government minister has since stated that Brunt has not been detained but is required to remain in the country while an investigation is conducted. The minister explained that the government, which contributed $2 million SBD to the event, has a vested interest in ensuring fairness.
“There is a high probability of vote tampering, which could amount to fraud. We have substantial evidence following an initial investigation,” the minister said.
Despite this, Brunt said that he did not do anything wrong and that he will seek apologies and take legal action against those who accused him.
He also called on Tonga’s government to publicly apologize. “I will demand an apology from the Government of Tonga on behalf of its people for the libels and personal attack on me, my children, my wife, and my late mother.”
Pamela Naesol, a scrutineer and CEO of the Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants, refuted the allegations. “I don’t know where all these accusations leveled against Jerry came from because last Saturday’s results followed established pageant processes.”
Brunt has since been cleared to leave Honiara, but the Solomon Islands government has launched an investigation into the controversy with an official statement expected.
