Court allows Kwa to intervene in challenge

THE Supreme Court yesterday allowed Attorney-General Dr Eric Kwa to intervene in the constitutional challenge filed Opposition Leader Belden Namah.
Namah is challenging the Parliament’s decision to adjourn its sitting from April 21 to Aug 10.
He raised constitutional questions that the adjournment in between the dates caused a breach of compliance with s.124(1) of the Constitution concerning the minimum parliament meeting days.
Namah through the reference contends that decision of Parliament on April 21 to adjourn until Aug 10 made it impossible for Parliament to achieve the minimum requirement of 63 meeting days.
Justice Derek Hartshorn granted the application filed by Solicitor-General Tauvasa Tanuvasa on behalf of Kwa to intervene in the reference.
Tanuvasa told the court that Kwa’s intervention was necessary given that he occupied the office of the Attorney-General and Justice Secretary by operation of law under section 5 of the AG Act.
Tanuvasa also submitted that as the principle legal adviser to the executive government, Kwa needed to intervene to properly assist the Supreme Court in its determination of the relevant provision of the Constitution purportedly breached or not complied with as pleaded in the reference.
Kwa’s application was not objected by Namah’s lawyers from Young and Williams and Speaker Job Pomat’s lawyer, the first interveners in the reference.