Jerry Brunt Photo: Junior S Ami/Samoa Observer
The director of the Miss Solomon Islands Pageant has told RNZ Pacific that the controversy surrounding the 2025 Miss Pacific Islands Pageant is now with the Solomon Islands government, as investigations continue into allegations of vote rigging.
Samoan citizen and head judge Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt and Vanuatu judge Jane Glen Canas were stopped from leaving the country on Tuesday, following claims of interference in the final results.
Leiataualesa has denied any wrongdoing, telling Indepth Solomon's, "I don't even know where that allegation came from."
Miss Solomon Islands Pageant director Joyce Konofilia has called for calm as tensions rise on social media.
"I urge our people to remain calm, to bare with us for a little while the government is going through the investigation," she said.
"We would like to protect the integrity of the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the pageant does not come into disrepute," she said.
Konofilia said the government has now taken over.
"At this stage, the government has taken over, and Brunt was stopped from leaving the country.
"It's a bit beyond us now as the organisers of the event, we are now waiting for a final statement from the government to confirm whether or not they'll release Brunt to leave the country and what will happen next.
"As organisers, we are looking after him and ensuring his safety is also taken care of," Konofilia said.
However, scrutineer Pamela Naesol, chief executive of the Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants (ISIA), has dismissed these claims.
She told Indepth Solomons that the results followed standard pageant protocols.
"After the onstage interview results were entered into our spreadsheet, we saw a tie between Miss Tonga and Miss Samoa, with each receiving two votes," Naesol explained.
She clarified that in such cases, the head judge is required to cast the deciding vote.
"Jerry was the only one who could make the final decision. He voted for Samoa, giving them three votes to Tonga's two, ultimately crowning Miss Samoa as the winner," Naesol said.
Ties in the competition are not uncommon. In 2006, a similar situation arose between Miss Samoa and Miss Cook Islands, with the head judge at the time making the final call in favour of Miss Cook Islands.
Meanwhile, Leiataualesa, a lawyer by profession, has denied any wrongdoing and questioned the legality of the Solomon Islands' decision to issue a stop notice against him and Canas.
"There is no legal basis for Solomon Islands officials to have issued a travel prohibition order against us," he told Samoa Global News from Honiara.
The two judges were blocked from boarding their scheduled flights on Tuesday morning and were hoping to leave that afternoon. However, as of Wednesday midday (Samoa time), they had not received any updates.
Samoa's government has since requested official information from the Solomon Islands Attorney General's Office regarding the circumstances of the stop order.
Leiataualesa has vowed to take legal action against those who have accused him of vote rigging.
"Once I am home, I will begin legal proceedings," he said.
"I will demand an apology from the Government of Tonga on behalf of its people for the libel and personal attacks on me, my children, my wife, and my late mother," he said.
"We hope the announcement and decision will be announced soon so we can all put the issue to rest.
"Im calling on our people from Tonga and Samoa to please be kind to each other, stay positive the girls are innocent and we need to help their cause, not be harsh on each other, and keep the Pacific spirit within our selves and lets all hope for the best outcome."
RNZ Pacific has contacted the Solomon Islands government and the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant for comment.
