CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS Cooks PM, deputy PM accused of fraud
Avarua: Two private criminal proceedings have been filed in the Cook Islands against Prime Minister Henry Puna and Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown. Filed by lawyer Norman George on behalf of complainant Teokotai George, the proceedings allege the MPs conspired to defraud the crown of about $US20,000 (FJ$43,717.99) by chartering an aircraft for an emergency medical evacuation when no such emergency existed.
The lawyer, who is not related to the complainant, alleged the MPs fraudulently arranged the charter flight soon after the general election in June 2018 in order to bring a newly elected independent MP from one of the outer islands to Rarotonga.
They did so to shore up the government’s majority, Mr George said.
“They had to find four other members to join them. They did so, and the furthest one away happened to be the newly elected independent member for the island of Penrhyn,” he said. “They were able to secure a private jet to fly across and pick him up under the auspices of a medical evacuation for a sick person, when there was no sick person.”
Mr George said an individual identified as being ill was uplifted by the Air Rarotonga charter, who was “not critically sick”. “They used the medical evacuation budget and there was no sick patient. No one was admitted to the hospital in Rarotonga but the person they identified as requiring medical attention went to the hospital two weeks after landing on the island of Rarotonga.”
The lawyer said he filed the proceedings because Police failed to act.
“Our Police service is totally compromised, they will not conduct investigations against the government,” he said.