Confusion in PNG parliament over MP suspension

Transcript

Papua New Guinea's speaker of parliament has sparked confusion over the status of MPs who have been referred to leadership tribunals.

Several MPs are at various points of the process of being referred to leadership tribunals by the public prosecutor, but not all of them are suspended from parliament.

The speaker, Theo Zurenuoc this week refused to recognise one MP, John Hickey, who has been referred but whose suspension is unclear.

Amid protests from his National Alliance colleagues in the house, Mr Hickey left the chamber, and the Government was unable to immediately pass its major Sovereign Wealth Fund bill.

Our correspondent Todagia Kelola spoke to Johnny Blades from Port Moresby.

TODAGIA KELOLA: There are a number of parliamentarians that the Ombudsman Commission has referred to the public prosecutor for investigations and the public prosecutor has requested the Chief Justice to appoint a number of tribunals to enquire into misconduct allegations. Now the speaker told parliament that those members who have been referred by the public prosecutor should not be present inside this sitting or this session of parliament. Although the tribunals have been set, they're saying that they [the MPs referred] are yet to be suspended.

JOHNNY BLADES: There are a number of them who are currently referred, including in the Government.

TK: Yes, including in the Government. And the tribunals have been set up and a date set for the leaders to appear, but there is still some confusion as to when the public prosecutor requests the chief justice and if he appoints a tribunal, whether these leaders who are supposed to appear before the tribunals, are they suspended as MPs? Now maybe the speaker got legal opinion that those leaders are already suspended. But there is another argument that leaders are not suspended until the tribunal meets and the public prosecutor hands over the indictment or allegations to the tribunal, and once the tribunal is in possession of these allegations, then the leader is automatically suspended as a member of parliament. Now this is the confusion where the speaker and members of the National Alliance party, in which John Hickey, the member for Bogia, is a member of. Yesterday when parliament sat to pass this Sovereign Wealth Fund bill, John Hickey walked into the chambers and the speaker disallowed him and said that he is facing a leadership tribunal so he should not participate as a member.

The Government is expected to make another attempt to pass the Sovereign Wealth Fund bill within the last two days of the current session.