CONTROVERSIAL Australian Julian Moti has been sacked as attorney-general and deported from Solomon Islands.
It is understood his deportation order had been signed by the new foreign affairs and immigration minister Francis Billy Hilly, and an Australian federal police agent is on standby to escort Moti to Brisbane in a flight today.
“Whether he’s packed his bags or not is not my problem,” Solomons immigration department permanent secretary Jeffrey Wickham told AAP.
Moti is wanted in Australia for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl in Vanuatu in 1997.
He was dismissed from his post after he lost a legal battle to stay in the country.
In last weekend’s high court hearing, Chief Justice Albert Palmer ruled Moti’s right to remain in the Solomon Islands was by virtue of his political appointment and not as an individual.
The new Solomons government of Derek Sikua has pledged to send Moti back to Australia as part of its policy to improve relations with Canberra.
Dr Sikua was elected prime minister last week shortly after previous leader Manesseh Sogavare lost a confidence vote.
Mr Sogavare, who appointed Mr Moti as attorney-general, was embroiled in a bitter standoff with Canberra and had refused to hand over Moti.
Moti escaped arrest by Australian Federal Police in Port Moresby last October when he was secretly flown out in a PNG Defence Force aircraft, apparently with the knowledge and assistance of top PNG Government officials.
An inquiry into the “Moti Affair” recommended that a number of these officials, including Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, be prosecuted over Moti’s removal, but the findings and recommendations are now subject of a court challenge in the Supreme Court.
Moti received his termination papers after the court ruled against him last weekend.
Sources in |Honiara told The National that an Australian Federal Police officer referred to only as Peter was making plans with the new Solomon Islands government to escort Moti to Australia.