Casmir Remengesau was the last witness that the defense counsel Oldiais Ngiraikelau presented during the three-day trial for Remengesau’s violation of code of ethics charges.
Casmir Remengesau took all the blame for the erroneous documents and said in court that it was his fault why he forgot to list down the other properties of then President Remengesau.
He admitted that he failed to attach some information in the disclosure statements when he submitted it to the Ethics Commission.
Casmir testified in court that sitting there at the witness stand and realizing that he made some mistakes when he prepared the documents back then, made him “feel embarrassed.”
“I should have listed it down, I should have disclosed everything,” Casmir Remengesau said during a cross examination with Special Prosecutor Michael Copeland on Wednesday.
Casmir Remengesau said when he prepared the documents, he thought they were all sufficient information and he thought it was complete and enough at that time.
He said by the time they were aware that the information were not sufficient, they did not had the chance to correct the document because it was already time to file another financial disclosure statements.
He also testified that he changed some of the information after the issue of Remengesau’s other land properties became public.
But he said the reason why he changed the information was not to hide the other properties but to stop any misleading information that former Senator Joshua Koshiba started to disclose in his series of press conferences.
Aside from Casmir Remengesau, the defense also called Mirriam Sakuma, the chairperson of Ethics Commission and Roland Techemang Ngirengkoi, Remengesau’s former staff as witnesses.
Sakuma testified about the procedure in reviewing financial disclosure statements and said that at that time they did not really check if the information provided in the form was true.
Sakuma said a public official is required to list down all his properties and submit detailed information but when she was asked by Copeland if they would know if a property in Ngaraard was only one or more than one, Sakuma replied “No.”
Ngirengkoi testified that Patrick Ramarii came to him at the Vice President’s Office and asked him to help him sell his land.
He said he told Remengesau that Ramarii’s land was for sale.
The government presented three witnesses namely Ramarii, Ken Uehara, an expert in land appraisal and Bradley Kumangai, Special Prosecutor investigator.
Both parties rested their case on Wednesday morning and the closing argument was held at 2:30 pm.
Copeland in his closing argument said that Remengesau tried to deceive the public when he kept his other interest.
The government said the former President knew that he bought properties; he knew that he has other properties and he knew that he did not disclose these properties in his financial disclosure statements.
The defense in his closing argument said that there was no willful intent on the side of Remengesau to hide his properties.
Ngiraikelau said Remengesau was not aware that the documents were incomplete when it was submitted to the Ethics Commission.
“We did comply with the law but the information were not enough but there is no intent to violate the law,” the defense counsel argued.
The defense also argued that the government alleged money laundering and bribery but there was no evidence to point directly that Remengesau committed the money laundering or even tried to bribe Ramarii.
Ngiraikelau said the former President has been open from the very beginning from the time he was elected and until the time he left the office.
Associate Justice Kathleen Salii has yet to render her decision on the case.
