Australian facing child sex charges named Solomons' attorney general

Julian Moti

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) -- A lawyer sought in Australia on child sex charges was sworn in Tuesday as the Solomon Islands' attorney general, sparking condemnation from the Australian government.

Julian Moti, an Australian who evaded extradition to his home country last October when he escaped custody in Papua New Guinea, is a close friend of Solomons' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

Sogavare has repeatedly blocked Australia's efforts to have Moti return to face child sex charges arising from an incident in Vanuatu in 1997, accusing Canberra of seeking Moti's return for unspecified political reasons.

A jury on Vanuatu acquitted Moti on charges of raping a 13-year-old girl there. He later settled a civil action taken against him by her family.

Governor General Nathaniel Waena swore in Moti as attorney general on Tuesday at a ceremony at Government House in the capital Honiara attended by Sogavare and his Cabinet.

In a speech afterward, Moti declared his innocence of the charges against him and said the Australian bid to extradite him was unjustified.

"Justice will finally triumph as well when the responsible Australian prosecutorial authorities confront our government's lawyers to discuss what was fact and what was fiction in the case which they want to mount against me," Moti said.

In Sydney, Prime Minister John Howard called Moti's appointment "quite extraordinary."
"It is a very provocative and insensitive thing for somebody who is wanted on a criminal charge in this country to be sworn in as the attorney general," Howard said.

Under Australia's anti-pedophile laws, its citizens can be tried for crimes committed overseas.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Moti's appointment was "a poor reflection on the quality of government in the Solomon Islands."

Relations between Sogavare and Canberra are poor, with the Solomons' leader claiming an Australian-led peacekeeping mission to the Solomon Islands is undermining his nation's sovereignty.

Australia has criticized Sogavare's appointment of two officials who have been jailed in connection to rioting that razed part of the capital in April last year.
Howard said Moti's appointment would have no direct effect on the peacekeeping mission.