A retired Papua New Guinea judge has been appointed to lead the tribunal investigating allegations against suspended Police Commissioner Ian Vaevaso.
Justice Ellenas Vitata Batari, a former judge of the National and Supreme Courts of Justice of Papua New Guinea, will chair the panel. He will be assisted by local magistrates Felix Hollison and Tearo Ribua Beneteti.
Justice Batari’s appointment was issued in a government gazette published this week.
He takes over from former Solomon Islands Governor-General and retired judge Sir Frank Kabui, who was initially appointed to lead the inquiry.
Under Sir Frank’s chairmanship, the tribunal was unable to conduct its investigation due to undisclosed issues before its 60-day term expired.
Beneteti replaces another local retired judge, James Apaniai, whose term also lapsed, while Magistrate Hollison retains his initial appointment.
Justice Batari brings over two decades of judicial experience on the PNG bench to the inquiry.
Under his chairmanship, the tribunal is mandated to inquire into:
Interference in Arrest (2019): Whether Vaevaso, while serving as Deputy Commissioner of Police, unlawfully interfered with the lawful arrest of Jackson Vaikota;
Interference in Mining Investigation (2024): Whether Vaevaso unlawfully interfered with an investigation into illegal mining operations conducted by Chinese businessman John Szetu within Mount Vunusa in Central Guadalcanal—an area covered by a Gold Ridge Mining Ltd prospecting license;
Destruction of Illicit Drugs: Whether Vaevaso unlawfully intervened and caused the destruction of seized illicit drugs, specifically ketamine and methamphetamine;
Concealment During Vetting: Whether Vaevaso concealed any of these incidents during the recruitment and selection process that led to his appointment as Police Commissioner; and
Recommendation on Removal: Whether, based on the tribunal’s findings, Vaevaso ought to be removed from office for inability to discharge the functions of his role.
A long-serving police officer from Choiseul Province, Vaevaso was appointed head of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) on 24 April 2026, under the former Manele administration.
However, less than two months later, on June 17, 2026, the newly elected government led by Prime Minister Matthew Wale issued his suspension orders.
The suspension followed joint investigative reporting by In-depth Solomons and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which revealed that an internal police probe in 2023 had recommended formally questioning and suspending Vaevaso ahead of potential criminal charges.
A bureaucratic impasse between prosecutors, the police department, and the Police and Prison Services Commission (PPSC) ultimately stalled that case, leaving Vaevaso unvetted and uncharged prior to his appointment.
The Wale Government stated that it recommended the suspension because critical allegations regarding the management of drug evidence had not been disclosed prior to Vaevaso’s appointment as head of the 3,000-member force.
To maintain operational leadership during the tribunal proceedings, the government appointed James Aitorea as Acting Police Commissioner.
