An Austrailan wellness guru, who ran a Kambo frog poison session which led to a man’s death, has argued he has been “unfairly barred” from running similar retreats by the health watchdog following the incident.
Soulore ‘Lore’ Solaris faced Australia’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Wednesday in his fight against an interim prohibition order that currently prevents him from practicing any health services following the death of 46-year-old Jarrad Antonovich at one of his retreats.
Antonovich died during a “music and meditation ceremonies retreat” led by Solaris from October 12 to 17 in 2021 in northern parts of New South Wales after being given Kambo – a toxic excretion of the Kambo species of frog – on the second to last day of the retreat.
At the tribunal, Solaris argued he had been “denied procedural fairness” by the Health Care Complaint Commission (HCCC) which had slapped the interim ban on the wellness guru in November last year.
The tribunal heard how the HCCC placed the order upon him after discovering a flyer advertising a retreat in Melbourne led by Solaris.
The retreat offered participants the chance to partake in a “sacred ritual” where they “may choose” to drink “sacred plant sacrament”.
In his bid to have the order changed, which currently bans him from providing any health services whatsoever, Solaris told the tribunal the police had “falsely characterized the events” of the incident because they were “enmeshed in the claims and agenda of the family of the deceased”.
He also argued he had not been given “procedural fairness” as he had not been given a chance to respond to the order, and could not understand why he was banned from counseling and other therapies.
Handing down her decision on Wednesday, Acting Judge Audrey Balla affirmed the decision by the HCCC to place the blanket ban on Solaris and dismissed his application to have the order reviewed.
“I am satisfied that the evidence before the Commission was such that it provided a proper basis upon which it could form a reasonable belief that Mr Solaris proposed to continue to conduct retreats similar to the retreat in October 2021 so that he posed an ongoing serious risk to the health and safety of members of the public and that it was necessary to issue an interim prohibition to protect the public,” Judge Balla said in her decision.
The incident was referred to the NSW State Coroner, however, an inquest into the matter was halted and referred to the NSW Police for charges to be considered against Solaris.
In a statement to news.com.au, NSW Police said the matter was referred to the Department of Police Prosecutions, which is continuing to investigate the case.
The inquest heard how Antonovich was administered Kambo between 10am and 11am before he became swollen in the neck and face, complaining of “intense pain”.
Despite the reaction, he was later given a cup of Ayahusca, a hallucinogenic beverage used by Indigenous Amazonian tribes, at a ceremony at 8.30pm.
He collapsed around 11.30pm and died by the time an ambulance arrived, where it was discovered he had suffered a perforated oesophagus as a result of the Kambo.
The tribunal heard how a witness said Solaris advised Antonovich: “I think it’s a good idea for you to sit in the ceremony tonight, but I think it’s a good idea that you only just have a little cup”.
The inquest heard that if an ambulance had been called in a “timely fashion”,Antonovich would likely have survived.
