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South Pacific Independent News Network · 09-22-2020, 11:11 PM

Year 18 | 22 September 2020

REAL NEWS
PANDA'S INFLUENCE GROWS AS THEY CLEAR THE FIELD FOR A CABINET RUN
Gale Weathers | News Editor

Legislators have accused Panda of forcing Foreign Minister Jay Coop to decline to seek re-election, during a heated Assembly debate this afternoon.

The debate, which was supposed to deal primarily with the proposal to abolish the Local Council, soon devolved into a discussion on Foreign Minister Jay Coop’s decision not to seek a second term, allegedly due to personal reasons. Some legislators expressed a concern that this decision was taken under duress and might involve Panda trying to clear out any possible opposition in their quest to become Minister of Foreign Affairs in the upcoming October Cabinet Elections.

This accusation gained strength after it was revealed that Jay Coop’s announcement was released shortly after the Minister had a prolonged meeting with Panda. While the meeting was private, and even support staff were kept out, a senior ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Jay Coop came out of the meeting with slumped shoulders, while Panda left in seemingly high spirits.

Legislators have also criticised the Prosecutor General’s Office for their decision on Sunday not to prosecutor Panda for lampshade smuggling, tax evasion and fraud. The announcement surprised many, particularly legislators who had access to the underlying evidence and believed that there was a strong case to continue investigation. The official investigation, which was unusually swift for such a complex case, concluded with a statement that "there is no evidence whatsoever that Panda participated in any smuggling operations".

This paper has come to know that the Prosecutor General had obtained, as part of its investigation, surveillance videos that showed Panda personally directing lampshade smuggling operations at the Interregional Seaport. It is unclear what became of this evidence or under what grounds it was dismissed; the Prosecutor General’s Office declined to comment on the matter.

With Panda’s influence growing, some legislators are expressing concern that Panda might be influential enough to win a Cabinet seat, despite their association with the Dirty Lampshades.

The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is an independent news organisation established in 2003 with the goal of providing good, insightful and timely commentary on regional events for the citizens of the South Pacific. This publication is satirical and does not necessarily reflect the facts or the views of the Editorial Board. Content is published via pseudonyms. The SPINN is not associated with the Government of the South Pacific.

(This post was last modified: 09-22-2020, 11:32 PM by South Pacific Independent News Network.)