TARAWA (The Sydney Morning Herald/Pacnews) — A legal row over moves by the Kiribati government to deport an Australian citizen and senior Kiribati judge who is married to the country’s
An Australian citizen and senior judge in Kiribati who is married to the opposition leader of the Pacific Island nation was detained by the government on Thursday.
Kiribati is embroiled in a constitutional crisis after the government on Thursday suspended its chief justice, leaving the judiciary in disarray as experts raise concerns about the rule of law.
The move escalates an ongoing controversy over separation of powers in the Pacific nation, after Kiribati’s only other high court justice, Australian David Lambourne, was suspended in May.
On Thursday, New Zealand judge William Hastings was due to begin hearing a legal challenge brought by Lambourne. The suspended judge was seeking initial orders restoring his salary and facilitating his return to the country ahead of a constitutional challenge to the suspension.
Yet rather