Legal Ruling

Court decision on Vanuatu's vacated MPs' seats this Friday

dismiss an appeal by the 19 MPs.

On 8th June the speaker at the time, Gracia Shadrack, declared that 19 seats, held by government MPs, were vacant, because the MPs had been absent from parliament for three consecutive days.

This was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

But the MPs affected claim that Supreme Court Judge, Oliver Saksak, erred by dismissing their constitutional application.

The MPs had contended that only the Supreme Court itself could declare seats vacant and had not done so.