Hawaii’s Democratic Lieutenant Governor, Sylvia Luke, has been indicted by a grand jury on multiple felony charges, including criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate committee reports. The indictment stems from allegations that while serving as a state lawmaker in 2022, Luke accepted a bribe from local businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum. Prosecutors allege Solidum offered Luke a $35,000 bribe in connection with a COVID-19 testing contract that a company he represented held with the state. Solidum, along with former state representative Ryan Yamane, Hawaii Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, and former public utilities commission official Leo Asunción, were also indicted as part of the state attorney general’s probe. This investigation is an offshoot of a federal bribery probe. According to the indictment, Solidum, representing the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, met with Luke in January 2022 and allegedly provided two $5,000 checks to her campaign committee, Friends of Sylvia Luke, as her client’s contracts were nearing expiration. Solidum reportedly told Luke, “By next week, we’ll have 35, so it will be halfway to our 70,” implying a larger sum. Luke allegedly responded positively to this offer. While Luke has admitted to accepting the two $5,000 checks, she has denied accepting any further funds or that any money influenced her legislative actions, asserting on social media that she has always “prized integrity and honesty.” The indictment further suggests Solidum may have been attempting to leverage Luke’s upcoming run for lieutenant governor, with allegations that he told another state representative, “All I gotta do is give her more money now.” Following the indictment, Hawaii Governor Josh Green called for Luke’s resignation, stating she should “consider formally resigning to address this matter and so that the state of Hawaiʻi can move forward.”
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
