by Georgina Maka’a
Moffat Konofilia, the former national footballer arrested and remanded following his return from the United Kingdom late last month, has been released on bail this morning – much to the relief of his family and supporters.
His lawyer Lily Ramo of JustLaw Attorneys applied for bail on Monday.
Magistrate Tearo Beneteti told a packed court room she found no reasonable grounds to further remand Konofilia in police custody.
“Go and enjoy your bail time with family and avoid talking about this case on social media,” Magistrate Beneteti told Konofilia.
“This case should be left to the court to deal with to the end,” she added.
Beneteti imposed bail conditions that include a cash deposit of SBD$10,000, report to police on Mondays and Fridays, surrender his passport, and not to leave Guadalcanal.
He returns to court on November 26.
Konofilia, 48, faces two criminal charges — sedition, contrary to section 3(1)(i) of the Sedition Act, and taking part in an unlawful assembly, contrary to section 74 of the Penal Code.
The charges relate to the November 2021 riots in Honiara, which broke out after calls by a group of Malaitans for then Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to step down went unheeded.
Konofilia was among several Malaitans charged by police in connection to the riots, which saw widespread burning and looting of business houses in Honiara.
While his case was before the Honiara Magistrate’s Court, Konofilia, who represented himself at that time, asked the court to vary his bail conditions to allow him to travel to the United Kingdom on a sport-related trip.
The court granted the request, allowing Konofilia to travel on condition that he returns for his next court appearance.
Police said that during a 2022 bail review hearing, Konofilia provided an address in the United Kingdom that was later found to be false.
“He was actually misleading the court,” police said.
It is understood that upon arrival in the United Kingdom, Konofilia sought asylum status from the UK Government, claiming he was politically persecuted in his home country.
However, while awaiting the outcome of his asylum application, UK police arrested and charged him with sexually assaulting a teenage girl.
According to UK media reports, he was living on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, when he committed the assault in nearby Weymouth on 15 December 2023.
Konofilia denied the charge but was found guilty following a trial.
He, however, avoided a jail sentence after pleading for leniency, telling the court he needed to support his wife and children.