NAURU – A former president of Nauru says the government has cancelled his passport to prevent him from seeking urgent medical treatment overseas.

Sprent Dabwido, who has been charged with other former MPs for their alleged role in a protest outside parliament in 2015, says the court had permitted him to travel and issued him his passport.

However, on appearing at the airport on Sunday for his flight, he was told that the Justice Minister, David Adeang, had personally intervened and cancelled the passport.

Dabwido says his doctor has told him his heart condition is life-threatening.

“I book myself Saturday to fly on Sunday and while at the airport the director of immigration told me my passport has been cancelled.

“I never knew about this – so it is an unfair system if you ask me, where the government does the job of the courts.

“I have satisfied the courts that I will go and get a medical treatment and come back. But for the government to do this it is very unfair and very much bordering on evil that they are basically saying they are God and you can die.

“On the fourth of August I went for a check up at the hospital. The doctor said ‘your condition is worsening’. He has put me back on pills for cholesterol which means that, the blockage in my heart some where, is getting worse.

He is still saying to me ‘your life is at risk everyday so keep on these pills’ but you must really fly to Australia to do a test that will actually help identify where the blockage is, or the hardening of the arteries are, and then have it operated on if you can.”

Dabwido says the minister of justice has intervened and is preventing him from flying by personally cancelling his passport.

“I have been in court for the past three weeks everyday, sometimes twice a day, trying to get this passport not knowing it was cancelled while I was fighting for it legally.

“You know I am surprised that they can allow an evil person to do this kind of thing with the court system.

“This government has a policy where they attend everybody’s funeral on the island whether it is the president or the madame or the minister of justice himself.

“And if my heart should give way before I have this treatment I really would love the government to know that I do not want them anywhere near my funeral – that is all I ask of them.”

Sprent Dabwido says he is applying for a new passport.

In addition to Dabwido 19 others have had their travel documents cancelled by David Adeang.

They include two other former MPs, Squire Jeremiah and Mathew Batsiua.

All had allegedly taken part in the anti government protest at Parliament in 2015.

Last year the Nauru Government seized the passport of another MP, Roland Kun, but he escaped from the island using a New Zealand passport.

- PNC/RNZI