Transcript
FLORENCE SYME BUCHANAN: The details of that complaint haven't been made public speculation is that it centres on the management of the Arorangi Prison, the treatment of the prisoners and allegations of an illegal business, catering business that was run out of the prison using prison resources and labour.
DON WISEMAN: It does sound remarkable that all of these nefarious or allegedly nefarious activities were taking place in what would presumably be a pretty small prison?
FSB: Yes it is not a large prison. There are 18 staff and the allegations had been made that the corruption has been going on for a number of years.
DW: This audit is not done yet. There was an expectation that it would be presented to parliament this year. Parliament is meeting next week presumably for a very short time because that is the manner of things in the Cook Islands isn't it? So it is not likely to be presented to parliament before the end of the year is it?
FSB: Well the hope is it will be presented but as the director of audit Allan Parker has said the government entities that are involved with the audit or included or mentioned in the audit. Will have to be given the opportunity to respond to the report. So they will have 14 days to do that. He didn't even say whether the report has actually gone to these entities yet. And yes our parliament is not known to sit for very long. It has only sat for 10 days so far this year. So the likelihood of that audit report, long awaited audit report coming before parliament is pretty slim.
DW: Now issues with Arorangi Prison there have been a few over the years and these latest events they bring to mind what happened 20 years ago in this horrific situation that was revealed by the then Chief Justice Sir Peter Quillium described it as one of the worst events he had heard of to do with prisons anywhere. And this involved a prisoner who had been kept in solitary confinement for months on end.
FSB: Yes that prisoner had been kept in appalling conditions for at one stage 14 months in a penal grade solitary confinement in a cell that measured just 6 feet by 7 feet no lights in almost total darkness for almost 14 months. And what the late Peter Quillium also said was that he was astonished that this man came out of the situation still sane.
DW: This sort of treatment is no longer found in the prison, they have improved?
FSB: One would expect that they have improved since that most awful event of 20 years ago. That yes we do expect that the prison has improved but there have also been allegations of prisoner abuse that have been made so one must wait and see what the report contains.
