25 Apr 2003

Suspended Marshall Islands chief justice in court on Monday

3:26 pm on 25 April 2003

The suspended American chief justice of the Marshall Islands High Court will get his day in court on Monday in Majuro.

Charles Henry, who has been suspended since last October, will be arraigned on 30 criminal charges, most of which relate to allegations that he misused government travel and housing money.

He's also facing one libel charge that claims he falsely accused the Marshall Islands of human rights abuses in a letter to the American Senator John McCain.

That letter subsequently received coverage in the Baltimore Sun and other US media.

Henry was originally charged with seven counts of cheating, three of which were subsequently dismissed, before the Marshall Islands filed an amended complaint earlier this month, increasing the charges to 30.

Palau's Supreme Court Chief Justice Arthur Ngiraklsong is hearing the case against Henry.