MPS to face conspiracy charges

PORT VILA – A judge in Vanuatu has ruled that 11 former members of parliament and a lawyer have a case to answer after they were charged with conspiracy to defeat the course of justice.

The charges stem from an incident in November when Marcellino Pipite, in his then-capacity as acting president, pardoned himself and 13 other MPs a day after they were convicted of corruption.

The president, Baldwin Lonsdale, overturned the pardons on his return to the country, and the Supreme Court later threw out the MPs’ bid to have that decision dismissed.

The MPs are already serving prison sentences of between three and four years for the corruption charges.

The Supreme Court will sit on February 2 to hear the conspiracy case.

Meanwhile, police in Vanuatu have urged voters not to give their electoral cards to candidates and their supporters.

The warning comes after police received allegations that a Port Vila businessman is collecting his employees’ cards.

Past elections have seen large companies in Vanuatu collect their employees’ voter cards and demand that they vote for a particular candidate.

Under Vanuatu law, it is illegal to collect electoral cards and demand people to vote for a particular candidate. - RNZI