Kiribati court rules suspended Australian judge cannot be deported

16/4/2024 11:39

        A Kiribati court has ruled that a High Court judge in the Pacific Island nation who has been suspended by the president cannot be deported to Australia where he was born until parliament considers the findings of a tribunal examining a complaint against him.
        
        The attempted deportation two years ago of David Lambourne, a judge who is married to Kiribati's opposition party leader, sparked a judicial crisis in the Pacific Island nation in a case closely watched by the United Nations and international legal groups.
        
        A resident of Kiribati for 30 years, Lambourne has been living there without a visa or salary since 2022 when President Taneti Maamau suspended him. Maamau then suspended all three Court of Appeal judges and the chief justice after they ruled Lambourne should not be deported.
        
        Kiribati will hold national elections this year, and Lambourne appeared in court last month seeking to have his suspension overturned.