Tepaki urges Cook Islanders to stand in court and fight for their rights

Referring to the recent CI News article on his being acquitted on charges of criminal contempt, controversial developer Tim Tepaki, speaking bluntly, told the Times on Friday it was sad that the news report focused on the rights of banks and not on the rights of Cook Islanders which was the core issue.
Tepaki said the substance of his challenge was about a local bank and officers of the court taking action that he compared to putting a gun to his head and saying “pay or else.” He said the words of the Chief Justice still ring in his ears, when he said to the bank’s lawyer “You have convinced a Judge of the lower court to issue an order on top of an order of the court” to issue a warrant for his arrest on criminal contempt over a civil matter.” The CJ also mentioned that “This court is not in the business of making criminals of people.”
Tepaki said the action in court with the CJ and Crown Law tearing strips of the plaintiff lawyer and bank while he sat there and watched proceedings is the real story of his challenge and he hates to think how many Cook Islanders may have faced similar circumstances and had their lands and homes taken from them. Sending them packing to far away shores said Tepaki with their heads hanging in shame and stripped of their dignity because they lost their ancestral land and home. He said “this is one Cook Islander they will not victimize in his own country” and he urged that Cook Islanders stand and fight for their rights instead of running away, adding that laws have been put in place to protect them!
Tepaki referred to those who acted against him as using the court system to bring about his demise, adding that it was sad that it took the CJ to come and Crown Law to intervene to correct how they should apply the law. Tepaki, added that it could only happen in the Cook Islands.
He said only the charge of criminal contempt was considered and cleared and the matter of settling debt and damage was yet to come.
Asked about his other case at the same hearing, lodged by his ex-employee Helen Wong, Tepaki said her counsel asked for a discontinuation after receiving his defense and counterclaim against her and he chose to accept it, adding that he had no wish to beat up on Cook Islanders, just a need to clear his name. He said the case files were in court for those who wished to see them and left it at that.

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