parliamentary secretaries

Last week the court ruled the positions were 'void and of no effect', finding they went against the constitution.

Mr Salwai has finally broken his silence regarding the decision, telling local media that he is ready to step down as Prime Minister if the court proves that he has committed a crime by spending public funds to pay for the positions.

The Prime Minister said the post of Parliamentary Secretary was created in good faith, but was then politicised

The Head of State, President Obed Moses Tallis, had sought the legal clarification: he wanted to know if the creation of the parliamentary secretaries - as a second tier ministerial posts - needed a national referendum.

The Chief Justice, Vincent Lunabek, ruled the creation of the posts was unconstitutional without a national referendum.

At the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday afternoon, three extra appointments for parliamentary positions were added to the only one that was created previously.