Rebel leader faces court over killing of Solomons minister

Harold Keke

HONIARA - A Solomon Islands Cabinet minister was executed on a remote beach after first asking his captor, militant leader Harold Keke, where he should stand to be shot, a court was told.

Keke and his deputy, Ronnie Cawa, then killed Father Augustine Geve with high-powered rifles, believing the minister had betrayed his constituents and stolen money meant for them, Crown Prosecutor Ron Barry told the High Court in Honiara.

Keke, 34, Cawa, 24, and Francis Lela, 22, yesterday pleaded not guilty to murdering the Catholic priest and former Minister of Youth, Women and Sports on August 20, 2002, in his constituency on the Solomons island of Guadalcanal.

In his opening address, Barry said the Guadalcanal Liberation Front (GLF) leader had earlier forced Geve to write a letter of resignation to Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza.

The catalyst for Geve's cold-blooded execution was Keke's discovery of a letter from Geve to Kemakeza saying he was being held against his will and asking for money to be put into his bank account in Honiara, Barry told the court.

He said evidence would be tendered that on August 20, 2002, on a beach on the island's remote Weather Coast, Geve asked Keke: "Which place do you think is good for me to stand for you to shoot me?"

Keke was alleged to have replied anywhere Geve liked.

But he then chose a spot and shot the minister twice, with Cawa also shooting Geve after he had fallen to the ground shaking, while Lela looked on, the court heard.

Barry told the court Keke had admitted in radio calls to a peace monitor the next day and later to police and a radio station that he had shot and killed Geve for betraying his constituents and stealing money from them.

Cawa had also admitted to police that he and Keke shot Geve, and Lela had told police of the killing.

Keke and his GLF had supported Geve's election and Geve had reportedly said he would work for the people of his constituency and if he did anything wrong, Keke could shoot him dead, Barry said.

Before shooting Geve, Keke allegedly asked the politician if he remembered his promise.

Keke surrendered to authorities in August 2003.

Keke, in a white shirt and tie and wearing short dreadlocks and handcuffs, was escorted into the steel-bar-enclosed dock with his co-accused by six guards who remained with the prisoners.

The three accused were released from their handcuffs at Justice Frank Kabui's suggestion.

Keke and his allies face future trials for other alleged atrocities including the abduction and murder of eight Anglican lay brothers of the Melanesian Brotherhood.

Keke began fighting for the indigenous rights of Guadalcanal islanders in the late 1990s and a bitter ethnic conflict with economic migrants from the neighbouring island of Malaita followed.

Barry said 39 witnesses would be called during the trial, which is set down for four weeks.

- AAP