18 Jun 2008

Solomons police to question injured Samoan RAMSI cop in Australia

2:02 pm on 18 June 2008

Several Solomon Islands police officers will travel to Australia to interview the injured Samoan RAMSI police officer who was involved in a car accident that caused the death of a Malaitan nurse.

The acting deputy police commissioner Peter Marshall says police have already questioned the Samoan officer driving the car, who remains off-duty, in Honiara.

The injured officer was evacuated to a hospital in Brisbane for an operation to be performed on Thursday.

Mr Marshall says police are keen to speak to him to get his version of events.

He says both police officers were off duty at the time of the accident.

"Well we will complete the investigation file as we would do under any circumstance and then we will forward to the DPP, the director of public prosecutions. That decision to lay charges all otherwise will be up to him to decide upon."

Peter Marshall.

Talks are underway with the Samoan government to decide whether immunity privileges under the Facilitation Act for RAMSI will be granted.