Peak legal association, the Law Council of Australia, has urged the government of Kiribati to respect the independence of the judiciary following moves to deport one of two High Court judges from the country.
Australian David Lambourne has been fighting a deportation notice from the authorities who accused him of breaching his visa conditions and posing a national security risk.
While his lawyers managed to secure an injunction in the Court of Appeal against his deportation, authorities still tried to force him onto a Fiji Airlines plane destined for Fiji.
However, the pilot refused to fly an unwilling passenger, leading to a stand-off with authorities who relented and confined Lambourne to a motel….