12 May 2011

Cook Islands MP Norman George to face Parliamentary Privileges Committee

8:13 am on 12 May 2011

Veteran Cook Islands MP, Norman George, will today face the Parliamentary Privileges Committee as it decides if he was in contempt of a summons from the Queen's Representative.

The committee will decide if Mr George was in contempt when he refused to attend the swearing in of MPs.

MPs were summonsed to attend parliament for the swearing in, but Mr George refused to attend the February 18th sitting in protest at his exclusion from cabinet.

But the Cook Islands News reports Mr George was sworn in as an independent on April 18 after Speaker Sir Geoffrey Henry received a legal opinion on the MP's status.