A popular beauty pageant has sparked a diplomatic scandal between the Solomon Islands and Samoa after its judges were accused of fraud and ‘degrading’ its contestants.
The international row erupted this week over the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant after Litara Ieremia-Allan of Samoa was crowned the winner of this year’s contest, held Saturday in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
However, the result sparked controversy after head judge Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt, from Samoa, was accused of interfering with the final result when Miss Samoa beat Miss Tonga, Rachael Guttenbeil.
Unsubstantiated rumours began to spread among Tongans on social media, who alleged that Brunt had hidden votes cast by the judges.
As a result Brunt and judge Jane Glen Canas, from Vanuatu, were barred from leaving the host country on Monday after the Solomons authorities launched an investigation into ‘alleged fraudulent activities’.
Solomon Islands stated that the stop notice had been put in place by the minister for home affairs to prevent the judges from crossing the country’s borders.
Pageant organisers said in a statement on social media yesterday that it ‘recognises and deeply regrets the distress caused by recent disputes concerning the results’.
‘Unfortunately, these allegations have escalated to the extent of subjecting contestants to degrading treatment and issuing threats against the lives of certain judges, thereby detrimentally impacting the camaraderie and ethos of the pageant.’
The Miss Pacific Islands pageant has sparked a diplomatic dispute after its judges were accused of fraud and ‘degrading’ its contestants
Controversy erupted after Litara Ieremia-Allan of Samoa was crowned the winner of this year’s contest
It gave no further details of the allegations.
The Solomon Islands’ government said Wednesday it had lifted the stop notices on pageant judges.
But it defended the step taken by the home affairs minister, saying allegations of fraud before Miss Samoa’s win were ‘deemed serious against the relevant laws of Solomon Islands’.
Two judges escaped the measure because they had already left, the government said in a statement.
Judges caught by the order ‘were not detained and are given the freedom to move around Honiara City’.
‘The stop notice was necessary to ensure that all judges were present to provide information or assistance in the investigation to resolve the issue of whether fraud was involved in the final results,’ the government said.
Solomon Islands said charges could follow the investigation, and it may notify American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu if it needs further information or action.
Earlier in the week, Samoa’s government demanded to know why its judge, Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt, had been prevented from leaving Honiara.
The pageant’s result sparked controversy after head judge Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt, from Samoa, was accused of interfering with the final result when Miss Samoa beat Miss Tonga, Rachael Guttenbeil.
Pictured: Racheal Guttenbeil, Miss Tonga, who was narrowly beaten by Miss Samoa in this year’s Miss Pacific Islands pageant
Pageant organisers nevertheless extended their ‘heartfelt congratulations to the new Miss Pacific Islands, wishing her ‘every success’ in her reign.
‘The Miss Pacific Islands Pageant was established with the noble aim of uniting young women from the Pacific region to promote cultural exchange, friendship and a unified voice for positive transformation,’ they said.
‘Despite facing recent adversities, these resilient young Pacific women have managed to cultivate genuine friendships, embodying the fundamental values that lie at the heart of the pageant.’
