by Georgina Maka’a
Alan McNeil has vowed to defend his reputation, dismissing the land fraud claims the Ministry of Public Service used as the basis for his dramatic suspension yesterday.
Speaking exclusively to In-Depth Solomons, the suspended Commissioner of Lands described the allegations as baseless and said he was confident he could challenge and prove them false.
He added that the manner in which his suspension was carried out was unprocedural, as he was not given the right of reply before the action was taken.
McNeil received his suspension letter while at work. The letter was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Service, Luke Cheka.
According to the letter, McNeil was suspended on the following grounds:
- Fraudulent execution of lease documents (RT 10 Form) and an MOU on 26 November 2023, knowing that the trustees involved had already passed away, relating to parcel 191-064-1 (Kongulai water source);
- Breach of a High Court Order (Civil Case No. 463 of 2009);
- Misrepresenting a ‘Good Will’ payment by former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare as a final payment for the disputed November 2023 lease agreement.
“Up until the point I was given my suspension letter, I had no idea there were allegations against me, or that the Ministry of Public Service had seen some kind of report and were looking into it,” McNeil said.
He added that he was still trying to understand the motivation behind his suspension.
“I’m suspecting that it might not be related to Kongulai at all,” said McNeil, who has served as Commissioner of Lands since 2018.
“Kongulai may have been used as an excuse to remove me, perhaps for other reasons,” he added.
He also rejected suggestions that his suspension was linked to his recent resignation from the Solomon Water Board.
“Even though the specific allegations concern Kongulai, they are about lease variation, not the water treatment plant project,” he said.
“The manner in which the lease was varied did not affect the Water Treatment works, so I don’t think the two issues are linked.”
There has been speculation on social media that McNeil’s suspension was driven by certain politicians.
McNeil said he was unsure whether that was the case.
Over the last five years of his tenure, McNeil has initiated several litigations that resulted in government land that had been illegally or carelessly allocated being returned to the state.
One of the major cases he is pursuing, with the backing of the Land Board, is the resumption of Levers Solomons Ltd land in the Lungga–Henderson–Tenaru area, east of Honiara. Levers has challenged the move, and the matter remains before the High Court.
McNeil said he intends to take his suspension matter to court “as quickly as possible” so he can clear his name.
“I have solid grounds and good evidence to prove that all of those allegations are false,” he said.
PS Cheka and his Minister have not responded to enquiries In-Depth Solomons made to their office.