One lawyer granted visa to represent suspended Opposition MPs and two applications rejected
One lawyer for a suspended
Opposition MP has been granted access to Nauru while another two
visa applications by lawyers seeking to represent MPs Squire
Jeremiah, Sprent Dabwido and Mathew Batsiua were rejected.
A visa application for lawyer Arthur Moses has been approved by
the Department of Immigration.
The Department is anticipating but not yet in receipt of an
application by Georgina Coleman who has reportedly been instructed
by suspended MP Roland Kun to represent him in relation to pending
criminal charges against him.
Applications from lawyers Jay Williams and David Lambourne were
rejected by the Minister for Immigration and Border Control David
Adeang on character grounds.
Mr Adeang said he had serious reservations concerning the
character of both of these applicants and that this formed the
basis of his decision to deny them entry visas to the
country.
He said the Government supported the right of the Opposition MPs
to have a fair trial with proper legal representation, but
suggested they were playing political games by intentionally
attempting to use lawyers that were certain to be rejected, in
order to delay the proceedings.
"They seem to enjoy playing the victims and being featured in the
foreign media, but there is a fair and independent judicial system
in Nauru and they have access to potentially hundreds of lawyers
who can represent them."
Mr Adeang said one of the lawyers whose application was rejected
was previously observed to be intoxicated and in a vehicle hooning
on the nation's airport runway prior to an arriving flight, and the
other had reportedly engaged in conduct that was perceived at the
time as interfering with the country's judicial system when he had
worked in Nauru.
"I would not imagine that in this age of increased airport
security, any country would allow someone who disrespected the law,
put lives in danger and was in a car doing donuts on the airstrip
while drunk, to return," the Minister explained.
He said the Government was keen to finalise these matters at the
earliest possible time, but the matter was in the hands of the
court.