_{by Georgina Maka’a}

Samoan Jerry Brunt flew out of the country this afternoon after submitting an affidavit to officials investigating the alleged rigging of last Saturday night’s Miss Pacific Islands Pageant results.

Brunt, a lawyer and hotelier, and the man at the centre of the allegation, was refused departure on Monday by Solomon Islands Immigration. He was the pageant’s head judge.

He left on the Brisbane-bound flight and will connect to Auckland before heading home, according to his wife Fiaailetoa Charlotte Cha Mow–Brunt.

Prior to his departure, Brunt told online news outlet Samoa Global News that he will be demanding apologies and taking legal action against his accusers.

He said he has not been charged with any criminal offenses and there was no legal basis for Solomon Islands officials to have issued a travel prohibition order against them.

Brunt says this has all resulted from the pageant conspiracy pushed by Maata Moungaloa Tupou –  the Tongan pageant judge who launched a complaint after the winner was announced, insisting Miss Tonga had won.

Pageant Scrutineer Pamela Naesol, CEO of the Institute of the Solomon Islands Accountant (ISIA) who was one of two Scrutineers, has said last Saturday’s results followed established protocols.

But acting on the allegations from the Tongan judge, the Solomon Islands Government issued Stop Notices against the four regional judges, which prevented them from leaving the country while it investigated the allegation.

However, two judges, Papua New Guinea’s Pakop Sovo and Tonga’s Maata Moungaloa Tupou left the country on Sunday before the stop notices were produced.

Brunt and his Vanuatu counterpart Jane Kanas, who were supposed to leave on Monday, were stopped at the airport.

Kanas has told In-depth Solomons she was traumatised by the action taken against her because she believed she had done nothing wrong.

She said she was not informed of why she was prohibited from boarding her flight, but she believed it was to do with the controversy over the pageant results.

Kanas is expected to leave the country on Friday on the direct Honiara-Port Vila flight.

A statement issued by the Government Communication Unit this afternoon announced that the Solomon Islands Authorities have lifted the “Stop Notice” as of noon today.

The statement explained that the Minister of Home Affairs had instructed the Immigration Division to impose the “Stop Notice” on all judges of the MPIP on Sunday, February 9, following several complaints and allegations of fraud related to the selection of Miss Samoa as the new Miss Pacific.

“Despite the withdrawal of the Stop Notice, investigations are ongoing. Formal charges will be made based on the facts presented through these investigations,” the statement added.

Lawyers spoke to say the government action is illegal because the pageant judges have not breached any laws.

Samoa’s Litara Ieremia Allan was crowned the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant 2025.