The oversight board stopped its former executive director and investigator from pursuing ethics investigations into the city police chief and his prosecutor wife.

There was no smoking gun, just a “mountain of evidence” that led to the conspiracy conviction of the former Honolulu police chief, his prosecutor wife and two police officers.

Her previous lawyer withdrew from the case due to unspecified ethical concerns and a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship.

The former city prosecutor’s publicly funded defense lawyer was allowed to withdraw from the case on the same day her privately paid attorney made new claims.

He said he wants to know how the misdeeds detailed in a federal corruption case were allowed to go “unchecked.”

Cynthia Kagiwada says she no longer wants to represent the former city prosecutor, who was convicted and incarcerated last week but faces additional charges.

Cynthia Kagiwada cites a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship with the former Honolulu prosecutor.

The Honolulu Police Commission gave the former chief a retirement payment of $250,000 after he was named as the target of a federal criminal investigation. 

The sordid chronicle of corruption and conspiracy at the highest levels of law enforcement demands greater vigilance from us all.

The Kealohas and two HPD officers were found guilty of conspiracy and obstruction, while a retired Honolulu police major walked. Here’s an explanation of the charges.