PORTS AUTHORITY CLARIFIED ABSENCE FROM 2015 BUDGET HEARING

The Solomon Islands Ports Authority has clarified its absence during the 2015 budget hearing in Parliament.

Chairman of Public Accounts Committee Rick Hou condemned the absence of Ports Authority when the 2015 Appropriation Bill was presented in Parliament.

Mr Hou said, such miserable behaviour by SIPA is indeed unacceptable and should not be tolerated by the sovereignty of this country.

But appearing before the public accounts committee last week, the Director of Commercial and Cruise ship development Glen Joshua finally explained that Ports did send a representative to the meeting.

Mr Joshua said the Corporate services Director attended the meeting, but he was outside of the Parliament House when the session for Ports Authority was called.

Mr Joshua added they also received the email summoning Ports to the meeting, very late.

“And we finish only at 4:30 pm. And I was in the office and the email came straight to me but it was 5:28. Everyone left and it was a public holiday too, that weekend. I was staying back and I saw that email that came at 5:28 pm, and so we tried to make arrangements as to who will go and we finally said that yes, Benny is available and so he came up here. At the specific time you requested he was outside.”