QLD: Moti faces child sex charge today in Brisbane court

AAP General News (Australia)
12-28-2007
QLD: Moti faces child sex charge today in Brisbane court

BRISBANE, Dec 28 AAP - Sacked Solomon Islands attorney-general Julian Moti will face
Brisbane Magistrates Court today charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in Vanuatu in
1997.

Moti, 42, an Australian citizen, was arrested at Brisbane airport last night following
his deportation from Honiara.

He was taken into custody at the Brisbane Watch House where he was charged with engaging
in sexual intercourse with a person who is under 16, an Australian Federal Police (AFP)
statement said.

"(Moti) was remanded in custody to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on December
28," the AFP said.

"The maximum penalty for this offence is 17 years imprisonment."

The Australian lawyer was deported from Honiara yesterday after being sacked as the
Solomons attorney-general on the weekend by new prime minister Derek Sikua.

The Fiji-born lawyer denies the charges, saying they were dismissed in a Vanuatu court
and revived by Australian authorities to prevent him becoming attorney-general.

Moti has been protected in the Solomons by his friend Manasseh Sogavare, who was prime
minister until earlier this month when he was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence
vote.

The new Sikua government quickly moved to finalise Moti's deportation and is keen to
improve relations with Canberra, which were severely strained under Sogavare.

Moti escaped extradition from Papua New Guinea to Australia in October last year when
he skipped bail after being arrested while in transit to the Solomons.

He hid in the Solomons High Commission in Port Moresby before being whisked away on
a PNG military flight to the Solomons.

His escape flight soured Canberra's relations with PNG's Prime Minister Michael Somare,
who denied sanctioning the flight, though a PNG Defence Force inquiry found he ordered
it.

Earlier this week, the PNG government banned Moti from returning to PNG, indicating
Somare wanted no more trouble over the fugitive lawyer.

AAP pc/it

KEYWORD: SOLOMONS MOTI DAYLEAD

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