The yacht, the Phocea, has been detained on suspicion of carrying guns and drugs, but there are allegations that two cabinet ministers boarded the yacht before customs and immigration officers did.
Two of the yacht crew, a Samoan and a Tongan have been charged with obtaining citizenship by false and misleading statements and have entered not guilty pleas.
The head of the police unit investigating the yacht, Andrew Kalman, has been suspended from duty.
Richard Kaltongga, adviser to the prime minister, says investigations are still going on.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker:Richard Kaltongga, adviser to Vanuatu Prime Minister Sato Kilman, Deputy opposition leader Edward Natapei
KALTONGGA: The issue of the vessel is the vessel is still being detained by the police and the security services and they're still going through the vessel, There were a lot of irregularities associated with the vessel, which would suggest that they may have contribution or contravened several laws and some of our legislation. We are informed that the papers that we presented to customs and immigration people may have been false. The prime minister had no knowledge of the vessel and its impending arrival. He was not aware despite the fact that there were some comments, we've heard of some comments made that the prime minister was invited on board. The prime minister was never invited on board and he reissued instruction that he would not go on board this vessel. Also we asked the police to commence investigation into the allegations surrounding the vessel. We are aware that a couple of ministers may have been involved and some backbenchers who I'm not sure which side whether they were the Opposition or the government side.
The prime minister did call the foreign minister in and met with him yesterday seeking investigations. I'm aware under the powers to make diplomatic appointments, the prime minister has requested that this be transferred directly to the control of the prime minister, because some of the issues may have been involved with the whole fiasco surrounding this vessel.
HILL: Meanwhile, the deputy opposition leader, Edward Natapei, is calling on prime minister Sato Kilman to step down if nothing is done.
NATAPEI: Would Minister Sato be found on the ship and instead of disciplining the ministers, they've gone and disciplined the police officer who is responsible for leading the arrest of the ship and it is becoming very, very suspicious to us that there is something really fishy going on.
Richard Kaltongga says the suspension of Mr Kalman from the police has come as a surprise to Prime Minister Kilman.
KALTONGGA: We heard of the crime unit who has been very, very closely with the prime minister Sato in investigating civil matters including the Citizenship Commission allegations on which case, the case has come against the courts, but we were just as surprised that he stood down and we understand that this came by as a request from his minister, but I understand that the Acting Commissioner of Police is looking into the matter.
HILL: So the prime minister was surprised to find that Mr Kalman has been stood down?
KALTONGGA: Yes.
HILL: Deputy opposition leader Edward Natapei says there is a long standing problem with the issuing of diplomatic passports to foreign nationals.
NATAPEI: Yeah, this has been a feature that has been happening in Vanuatu. If you recall, we actually pass legislation to not allow foreigners be issued with diplomatic passports. Just before the end of the last session, the government passed legislation to open that up and allow for foreign nationals to be issued with diplomatic passports and we have information that there were some diplomatic passports which were given to some of the people on board the yacht when they arrived one week before the police made the arrest.
HILL: Mr Natapei says foreign businessmen often get involved in Vanuatu politics to obtain diplomatic passports in exchange for large sums of money. Money which he says is often used to persuade MPs to support one political party or another in the aftermath of a general election. Prime Minister Kilman's adviser, Richard Kaltonnga, says the PM is not happy with what's happened in the wake of the arrival of the super yacht, and he is taking action to ensure this sort of thing doesn't happen again.
KALTONNGGA: The prime minister is not happy with the way. He did actually issue instructions earlier in the last year that there would be no more diplomatic appointments unless they follow the proper channels which was included an approval by the Council of Ministers.
HILL: So will the prime minister also be looking at the possible involvement in this issue of some senior Cabinet ministers?
KALTONNGA: Yes, we already aware of who is involved. On the important thing is that we, Vanuatu has its laws and they must be followed, they might have the laws for everybody whether he be a minister or he be an individual or on a street a Ni Vanuatu citizen or a foreigner. We have our laws and we must all abide by them and that has been the prime minister's stand all along, which is why we've been conducting all our investigations into different areas where there has been some questionable histories
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