Loss of innocent lives caused by misinformation, says secretary [1]
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 20:00. Updated on Friday, May 9, 2014 - 20:35.
Kalesita Taumoepeau, an Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Transport who was a personal assistant to former Transport Minister Paul Karalus, asserted him as being very diligent, honest and hardworking in relation to his work.
Her praise, however, did not extend to Shipping Corporation of Polynesia Managing Director John Jonesse whom she believed misled the former Minister and the Ministry of Transport resulting in the Ashika disaster.
Kalesita, who gave evidence on February 9 at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Ashika sinking, confirmed that on August 10, 2009 the former Minister wrote his letter of resignation and forwarded it to her to be sent to Princess Pilolevu. She said Karalus remained in the office for about a week to sort out documents before departing for good.
She confirmed a statement by the Counsel Assisting Manuel Varitimos that when the former Minister left the office he took the laptop, which was a property of the Transport Ministry.
"For how long?" asked the counsel, but the witness said she could not remember.
The counsel assisted her by reading out her statement where she said that around late August early September the Transport Secretary 'Eleni Mone had contacted Karalus to return the laptop.
The witness agreed.
"Is it correct to say on November 11, 2009 while waiting at the car park at the Fa'onelua Centre you had a conversation with Karalus and you told him that the commission had requested his laptop?"
The witness answered, yes.
"What did Karalus say to you in reply?" said Varitimos.
"He said I wouldn't find anything there," said the witness, who added that she did not know if anything was erased from the computer, and she had not been instructed to delete anything from his computer or his hard drive.
Tears
Varitimos then asked the witness her opinion on the cause of the disaster.
In tears, Kalesita commented on the loss of innocent lives and said she believed it was due to the misinformation made from the Shipping Corporation of Polynesia Ltd through Jonesse.
"I believe without doubt that this was the main cause. And I believe the former Minister and the Ministry as a whole was misled by Jonesse who said that the vessel was seaworthy," she said.
At the same she believed that the Ministry of Transport had carried out their best. They listed the deficiency list until the Acting Director of Marine Viliami Tu'ipulotu made the decision to sign the Certificate authorising the vessel to sail, she added.
On being cross-examined by Kahu Afeaki the counsel for the former Minister she was asked that leading up to the purchase of the Ashika, was it to fair to say that the Ministry of Transport trusted Jonesse. She said that was very true.
"You also trusted Bill Johnson?" (former Marine Director), the counsel asked, and she replied yes.
On being asked on her impression of Johnson, Kalesita said from executive meetings he presented reports at point form and was not thorough and thought he needed to improve. He also had a difficult personality making it hard for staff to approach him, she added.
At the same she confidently voiced that Karalus was very proactive with his work, very approachable. He went out of his way to support the staff, he was a peoples' man and a family man, she said emotionally.
Patterson Brothers
The witness who was re-examined by Varitimos agreed that she was responsible for filing documents.
"But in relation to the Ashika you had not filed any?", he asked, and she agreed.
"So Mr Karalus controlled the documents?" said the counsel. The witness said yes, but asserted that this was his line of work.
She was not aware of any phone conversations or emails made by Karalus with the Patterson Brothers, and the Minister did not discuss anything with her about Patterson.