Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) for East Kwaio ward 18 Alick Butala has opened a legal action against political rival Jude Kaefia.
This was for discrediting his status in this paper’s letters to the editor dated December 2.
In the letter Mr Kaefia alleged that Mr Butala has a sexual relationship with a high school female student from his ward who he assisted with school fee.
But responding to the matter Mr Bubutala who sought legal advice from Michael Pitakaka Law Chamber said that the allegations are highly defamatory and misleading the public.
“Mr Kaefia should know better, that I’m an elected MPA. I am responsible to support people in my ward who were in need.
“I was in my ward earlier when the father of that female student approached me and asked me to assist him with school fee for his daughter who is in Honiara.
“So I did as he asked me to. I returned to Honiara and arrange to meet with his daughter at the bank where I gave her an amount of $2,500 in the presence of her girlfriend and my driver.
“But not as stated in the article by Kaefia who has been holding grudges against me since he was my two terms rival in the battle for ward East Kwaio 18 Member of Provincial Assembly where I gave him landslide victory.”
He added that there’s no problem when he talked about his political life, but not his private life as he has family affairs and queens’ award which he received this year.
“These are my private life and he should not be talking about in the media like he did. This is a total shame which caused disturbance to my family.
“With this, my lawyer and I have opened a defamation case against Mr Kaefia for tarnishing my image publicly.”
A letter from Pitakaka lawyers dated Tuesday 6 December 2016 has issued an ultimatum for Mr Kaefia 7 days to apologise to Mr Bubutala, and to pay a compensation of $20,000 for tarnishing his image in the media.
Further legal actions will be taken against Mr Kaefia if he failed to meet these demands by Tuesday 12 December.
Mr Bubutala was a recipient of the Queen’s birth Day Member of the British Empire Award.
By CHARLEY PIRINGI
