17 Mar 2008

Fiji NGO writes to Legal Commissioner in Melbourne over legal professionals working in Suva

9:21 am on 17 March 2008

The Pacific Centre for Public Integrity in Fiji has written to the Office of the Legal Commissioner in Melbourne in Australia over the High Court judge Jocelyn Scutt.

In the letter, PCPI executive director, Angie Heffernan, said Justice Scutt was among several Australian legal professionals who had accepted appointments in the military-installed regime.

The letter highlighted what it said was the lack of provision to regulate the professional conduct of its members working abroad.

Ms Heffernan said PCPI was concerned at growing incidents of unprofessional conduct by Australian legal practitioners in Pacific islands, especially in Melanesian countries.

She highlights the inability, for political and administrative reasons, for host countries to deal with the issues.

Ms Heffernan told the Fiji Times they were urging the Victoria Legal Services commissioner to investigate the conduct of Justice Scutt and other Australian lawyers who had accepted positions in Fiji.