The Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai's government is to probe the legality of the gratuity payout to the jailed former members of Vanuatu's parliament at the end of last year.
In October, 14 MPs were convicted on bribery and corruption charges.
The Supreme Court also granted the prosecution's request that parliamentary entitlements paid to the politicians cease.
The MPs are being held at the Correctional Facility in Port Vila. Photo: RNZI / Hilaire Bule
Soon after however, the gratuity payments, which are made to MPs at the end of a parliamentary term, were paid to all 52 members of the outgoing parliament, including the convicted former MPs.
Each of the former politicians got US$36,000 dollars.
It is now part of the Salwai government's 100-day plan to probe the legality of the payout to those convicted MPs.