Marcellino Pipite is a Vanuatuan politician and former school administration, who was first elected to Parliament in 2004. He was the foreign minister of Vanuatu[1] from November 2004 until December 2004, in the government of Serge Vohor. He was previously the minister for comprehensive reform.[2] He lost his position in the cabinet in December 2004 when the Vohor government fell.

He was elected as the Speaker of the Parliament of Vanuatu on 16 June 2015,[3] and served until October 2015.

On October 10, 2015, while serving as acting President, he pardoned himself and 13 other MPs who the Supreme Court had found guilty of bribery.[4] President Baldwin Lonsdale, returning to Vanuatu hours after Pipite's pardon has been issued, declared that nobody is above the law and revoked the pardon, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court of Vanuatu.[5][6] Pipite and 10 of the other MPs faced charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Sentencing on the bribery charges went ahead and Pipite was jailed for 3 years, together with most of the other convicted MPs.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Vanuatu foreign minister's post said "rotated"". Port Vila Presse via BBC. November 16, 2004. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Keesing's record of world events. Longman. 2004.
  3. ↑ "New Vanuatu government changes speaker". Radio New Zealand International. 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  4. ↑ Liam Fox (2015-10-10). "Vanuatu's acting president uses interim executive powers to pardon himself and 13 others convicted of bribery". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
  5. ↑ "Vanuatu pardons could be reversed". 12 October 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "Vanuatu judge says MPs' pardons invalid". 21 October 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Vanuatu court sentences 14 MPs to jail for corruption". 22 October 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
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