Opposition calls for AG Gabriel Suri’s recusal from APID matters to protect public trust and justice
The Leader of the Official Opposition, Hon. Manasseh Damukana Sogavare MP, says the issue concerning Attorney-General Gabriel Suri and Asia Pacific Investment Development Ltd (APID) has now become a serious test of integrity in public office, the independence of legal decision-making, and the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.
Hon. Manasseh Sogavare stated, this is not a partisan issue and it is not a personal attack. It is a question of public standards. When the State is pursuing a live court claim for more than SBD 8.6 million in alleged unpaid mining royalties arising from 33 bauxite shipments, the people of Solomon Islands are entitled to absolute confidence that every decision taken on behalf of the Government is free from any actual or apparent conflict of interest.
The High Court proceedings in Civil Case No. 210 of 2025 are significant. The Court has already dismissed APID’s attempt to avoid the proceedings on procedural grounds and later restored APID to the Companies Register so the State’s royalties case could continue. That means this is not a rumour, not a political invention, and not a closed matter. It is a live and serious proceeding involving money allegedly owed to the State and people of Solomon Islands.
He emphasized, the concern now is that the documentary record shows a prior professional relationship between Mr Suri and APID that is too substantial to ignore. Records indicate that APID used Suri’s Law Practice as its postal address, that Gabriel Suri was identified as APID’s contact person, and that an annual return was filed through him as authorised person. Court records also show Mr Suri appearing in APID-related litigation, and later appearing as amicus in proceedings opposing the restoration of APID to the Companies Register.
Shortly after being appointed Attorney-General, Mr Suri then wrote to the Director of Mines stating that he had been instructed by the Prime Minister to initiate investigation into the same 33 shipments that are at the centre of the State’s court claim. That investigation reaches beyond the ordinary civil case and extends to possible money-laundering and proceeds-of-crime considerations involving multiple public agencies.
Hon. Sogavare said this combination of past involvement and present authority is precisely why recusal is necessary.
“The issue is not whether guilt has already been proved against anyone. The issue is whether the people of Solomon Islands can have confidence that APID-related decisions are being made independently, impartially, and solely in the public interest.”
The leader of the official opposition adds,
“Where the documentary record shows prior professional involvement with APID, the Attorney-General should not continue to direct, supervise, advise on, or influence APID-related matters on behalf of the State. The only proper course is full recusal.”
He said the investigation should not be used to derail the court case, and the court case should not be compromised by the investigation. The State’s claim for unpaid royalties should continue according to law, but it must proceed in a way that cannot later be attacked as conflicted or tainted.
“The people are entitled to both: recovery of public money if it is owed, and a legal process that is beyond reproach. Those two things must go together.”
For that reason, the Opposition calls for the following immediate steps:
- The Attorney-General should fully recuse himself from every APID-related matter, whether in court, in legal advice, in Cabinet processes, in correspondence, or in any investigative or enforcement decision.
- All APID-related work should be delegated to law officers or independent counsel who are free from any actual or apparent conflict of interest.
- The Prime Minister should publicly clarify what safeguards, screening arrangements, or recusal measures have been put in place since Mr Suri’s appointment.
- Any ongoing APID-related investigation should continue under an arrangement that protects its independence and protects the integrity of the existing court proceedings.
Hon. Sogavare said this matter now goes beyond one official and one company. It raises a wider question about the standards expected in government.
“The Solomon Islands cannot afford a culture where conflicts of interest are ignored until public confidence is broken. Public office carries a duty to avoid even the appearance that prior loyalties might influence present decisions.”
The Opposition will continue to monitor this matter closely and will pursue full accountability through the proper constitutional and parliamentary channels.
PRESS RELEASE
