NON-ISSUANCE of fishing licences to foreign fishing boats that paid their fees has been a practice in the Ministry of Fisheries.
The now defunct Solgreen manager Kazou Nagasawa said five Solgreen fishing boats paid for their licences in the past but were never issued with the permits.
“Five boats of our fishing fleet paid for fishing licences in 2003 but we never received fishing licences up to now,” Mr Nagasawa said.
He said this attitude must be investigated.
He questioned why it normally took the fisheries ministry so long to produce a fishing licence.
The same incident occurred in 1995 when a fishing boat was arrested but later released.
Mr Nagasawa said the two fishing boats currently in police custody should pursue the matter with the courts.
“If you know that you have already paid for the fishing licences but the fisheries failed to issue the licences, then settle the matter in the court which is the right channel,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fisheries Minister Nollen Leni is pointing his finger at the licensing director Eddie Oreihaka for the current mishap.
Mr Leni, said the director of his department was to blame for wrongly approving permits for the two fishing vessels now charged with illegal fishing.
The boats had been detained since January, but the Minister announced last week that they were to be released, after he was informed by the Director Mr Oreihaka, that he had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, giving the vessels approval to fish.
But Mr Leni is now saying the director has no power to issue that approval.
“Normally the Ministry would present a paper to caucus and cabinet to approve that kind of a Memorandum of Understanding.
“In this case, it wasn’t and that is the problem we have with the director’s action.”
Skippers of the vessels appeared in Court this week, while the 13 members of both crews are detained by Immigration officials, on bail of US$1,800 per person.
By EDNAL PALMER
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