At the time of his appointment, Ne'e had recently been arrested, by "Australian and local police" acting within the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), whereby Australia and other Pacific countries provided essential services to the country after the inter-ethnic violence from 1999 to 2003.
He was released after several months, reportedly on medical grounds, but did not retain his position in government after June; Sogavare "was forced to replace [him] after a backlash from local church and community leaders, as well as foreign aid donors".
A Cabinet leak, however, alleged that Sogavare had exerted influence to have the charges against Ne'e called off.
[1][4][5][6][7][8][9] In 2011, Ne'e sued for malicious prosecution, alleging that the charges against him had been politically motivated, instigated by Australian police due to his "anti-RAMSI views".
[1] Ne'e was a single term MP, and did not retain his seat in the August 2010 general election.