Vanuatu's former Prime Minister Charlot Salwai has been given a suspended jail sentence after being found guilty of perjury.
Salwai was sentenced to two years and three months in jail today after he misled the Supreme Court about the decision to create parliamentary secretary positions when in government in 2016.
ABC News reports the sentence was suspended but he will have to vacate his seat in Parliament.
Salwai is yet to indicate if he will appeal against the sentence.
In 2019, the then-opposition went to court to challenge the creation of the parliamentary secretary positions arguing the move was illegal because Vanuatu's constitution sets a limit on the number of ministers in government.
The Supreme Court found Salwai provided untrue information during that legal challenge, in a sworn statement that said the move to create the positions had been approved by the Council of Ministers, or cabinet, when it had not.
In suspending the jail sentence, Justice Andree Wiltens said Salwai had contributed a lot to the development of Vanuatu during his 18-year parliamentary career.
Photo file Loop Vanuatu Caption: Former Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai