Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Julian Moti is flown out of Solomon Islands to Australian police custody

Posted at 06:02 on 27 December, 2007 UTC

Solomon Islands former controversial Attorney General, Julian Moti, has been flown to Brisbane, where he’s to face historical allegations of child sexual abuse.

Australia has been endeavouring to have the Australian citizen extradited for more than a year, but had been blocked by the former Solomons’ Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare.

Mr Moti was sacked as Attorney General last week - one of the first actions of the new Dr Derek Sikua led Government.

Mr Moti had tried to stop the deportation through several legal challenges, while a group of his supporters gathered today at his house in Honiara, delaying the departure of the plane by more than an hour.

While there had been a scuffle our correspondent Dorothy Wickham says the delay was because police took a non confrontational approach.

“Police were also wanting to do it as calmly as possible with no injuries to anybody so therefore there was a lot of talking him into getting onto the plane and that sort of stuff.”