Vanuatu's former prime minister Charlot Salwai has been acquitted of bribery and corruption charges.
Justice G.A. Wiltens also found the former minister of agriculture Matai Seremaiah, the former minister of health Jerome Ludvaune, and former MP for Tafea Outer Islands Tom Kerr innocent of the charges.
Jerome Ludvaune, Tom Kerr, Matai Seremaiah and Charlot Salwai (L-R). Photo: Hilaire Bule / RNZ Pacific
Justice Wiltens said Salwai was not acting in self interest, nor that of his family when he appointed Ludvaune as minister of health and Kerr as parliamentary secretary in November 2013 but for the stability of the national government.
In November 2019, the then leader of the opposition and now deputy prime minister, Ishmael Kalsakau, launched an official complaint with the police.
Kalsakau claimed that Salwai bribed Ludvaune and Kerr to withdraw their signatures from his very first motion of no confidence against Salwai.
But Justice Wiltens said the prosecution had not convinced him that Salwai committed an act of bribery.
Defense counsel Nigel Morisson said his clients have been fully vindicated.
"We're very happy because it was always our view that there was no corruptness [sic] in the behaviour of these gentleman who represented the country in parliament and that has been the finding of the court," he said.
"There was an entire absence of corruption in respect to their actions, so finally today we've got the decision that we knew we deserved and we were waiting for."
However, Justice Wiltens has found that Salwai has a case to answer for perjury charges.
While Seremaiah, Ludvaune and Kerr are now free, the former prime minister will appear in the Supreme Court again tomorrow.