Vanuatu's president says he plans to pardon 14 former members of parliament convicted of corruption.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
President Tallis Obed Moses said in a speech in Port Vila on Tuesday he would pardon the group, who were found guilty of taking money from former prime minister Moana Carcasses while in opposition ahead of a vote to remove his predecessor, Radio New Zealand reports.
Soon after their convictions in 2015, then Speaker Marcellino Pipite (one of those arrested) used his acting power, while the president was away, to pardon himself and his co-accused.
Those pardons were quickly revoked but sparked a political crisis in the Pacific country of about 280,000 and a snap election in 2016.
A pardon from Moses, president since 2017, would potentially allow the group to run in next year's election.
Australian Associated Press
