PNG man jailed in Marshall Is

A PAPUA New Guinean is being held in jail in the Marshall Islands to face a murder charge after allegedly beating a Kiribati fisherman on board a fishing vessel in Majuro’s lagoon last week.
The Marshall Islands attorney–general’s office filed single counts of murder and manslaughter against Augustine Luvutul, 29, a fisherman onboard Ocean Expedition, a United States-flagged purse seiner.
The charges were filed in the High Court on Dec 27 by assistant attorney-general Meuton Laiden after the Dec 23 death of Aaron Ionikara, a fisherman from Kiribati who worked on the same purse seiner as Luvutul.
Luvutul is being represented by chief public defender Russell Kun.
At the initial appearance last Friday,chief justice Carl Ingram said the only way to ensure Luvutul “will not flee or gravely endanger public safety” was to have him held at Majuro jail.
Ingram remanded Luvutul for pre-trial detention pending disposition of the case.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan 9 at which time the government should provide adequate evidence to convince the high court there was “good cause” to proceed to trial.
The charges filed by Laiden say Luvutul “intentionally and recklessly caused the death of Ionikara, national of Kiribati,and a crew member on Ocean Expedition, who was completely helpless due to (being) heavily intoxicated.”
The charges say that Luvutul punched the victim six times in the face and head, “causing Ionikara to fall from the vessel to the sea and died”.
In the Marshall Islands legal system, murder carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail and/or a US$20,000 (K681,000) fine.
Manslaughter carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and/or a US$20,000 fine.