We helped pay for that land – State

Forest Hill 9KO farm dates back to 1925 when Balete bought the farm for investment purposes. Then the tribe contributed to raising the 3,000 Sterling Pounds required to purchase the land from Aaron Siew. Appearing before the Court of Appeal (CoA) bench yesterday state counsel Advocate Sydney Pilane said Balete failed to pay the original owners of the land outstanding balance and that is when the government stepped in. Pilane said the government had paid part of the loan therefore it is entitled to the land.

The state is appealing last year’s High Court decision that the land belongs to Balete. “The tribe was unable to settle the remaining arrears therefore it asked the government to settle the debt. Government has stake in the land,” Pilane said in his submissions at the CoA yesterday.