DailyPost Administrator posted on March 06, 2010 18:31
The 27 page Coroner’s findings in the Inquest of detainee John Bule has given one of the first clear proofs of what the law enforcement authorities, the Vanuatu Police Force can do.
Evidence given to the inquest by members in different ranks of the VMF hierarchy appeared to be contrived and indicated a pre-determined plan of what would be told to the Inquest and what would be withheld. When trapped by their own contradictory answers, a common response was “there must be a mistake” but they were unable or unwilling to explain what the mistake was.
From the top brass to the lower ranked officers none bothered to tell the truth. Police Commissioner Lt.Col Joshua Bong did not initially comply fully with their summons and as a result had to be recalled twice to produce a number of documents.
A significant exhibit he produced, dubbed exhibit 11(a bundle of statements from VMF officers who were directly involved in the recapture or interrogation) which for the first time revealed the identity of officers involved.
Nevertheless these statements were prepared and signed in April 2009 several weeks after VPF Inquiry team had finalised and presented its report.
Commissioner Bong also produced a Duty Roster for the VMF members who purportedly were on duty on March 29 which questioned later after Sgt. David Matthias revealed that he had been directed to attend Commissioner Bong ‘s residence in the week prior to the Inquest and directed to draw up a duty roster for that date.
He then drew up a duty roster eight months after the month, depending entirely from his recollection of which VMF officers he believed would have been on duty that day. The document was bought into further disrepute by the fact that Sgt. Matthias, who was listed as the senior officer on duty on March 29, 2009 testified that despite being rostered for duty that day did not attend work because the driver did not collect him from his work that morning.
If Sgt.Matthias is correct, then Commissioner Bong may have deliberately produced a manufactured, unreliable document to the Inquest and he has concealed the original document or failed to explain to the Inquest why the original document could not be produced.
The Coroner Mr Justice Nevin Dawson said this would constitute the most extraordinary obstructive behavior to a judicial body by the country’s leading law enforcement officer if found to be correct.