The government of the Solomon Islands is investigating allegations of potential manipulation of the voting process for the winners of the Miss Pacific Islands pageant 2025.
Litara Ieremia-Allan of Samoa was crowned Miss Pacific Islands 2025, while the first runner-up was awarded to Racheal Guttenbeil of Tonga.
However, the regional competition turned controversial after Tongan judge Ma’ata Mo’ungaloa Tupou confronted the Head Judge Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt following the winner’s announcement, accusing him of altering the original score sheet before handing it over to the Masters of Ceremony for the final announcement.
The allegations forced the Solomon Islands government, which invested $2 million in hosting the competition, to issue a “stop order” against Mr Brunt and another judge from Vanuatu, preventing them from leaving the country on Monday.
Brunt, a Samoan lawyer and hotelier with years of experience in the pageant responded to the accusations and denied any wrongdoing.
“I can honestly tell you that I don’t even know where that allegation came from,” Brunt alleged.
“It’s impossible for me to rig any scoresheets in front of thousands of eyes. God is my witness.”
The departure prohibition order against him had been lifted on Wednesday, according to Samoa Observer, saying Brunt flew out of Honiara this afternoon (Wednesday) en route to Brisbane then Auckland New Zealand where he will catch the final flight to his homeland.
“He submitted his statement early this morning and affidavit in response to what was requested from the government of Solomon Islands,” his wife told Samoa Observer.
Brunt also demanded an apology from the Tonga government, saying the allegations had damaged his reputation.
Meanwhile, one of the scrutineers of the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant, Pamela Naesol, refuted claims of result tampering.
“I want to assure everyone that there was no tampering or rigging of the results,” she reportedly told media.
Vote tampering
The director of the Miss Solomon Islands Pageant told RNZ Pacific that the controversy regarding the 2025 Miss Pacific Islands Pageant is currently with the Solomon Islands government amid ongoing investigations into allegations of vote rigging.
A Solomon Islands senior minister told the media the government took the matter seriously.
“There is a high probability of vote tampering, which could amount to fraud. We have substantial evidence following an initial investigation,” the minister stated.
The minister reportedly said the government acted after receiving numerous complaints.
