Sir Amet: Stay application on motion ‘mischievous’

By GIDEON KINDIWA
FORMER Chief Justice Sir Arnold Amet has branded as “mischievous” and “vexatious” an application filed in the Supreme Court by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to stay the motion of no confidence in him.
He accused O’Neill of using the legal processes “to mischievously mislead the public”.
“This is an abuse of process,” Sir Arnold said.
He O’Neill was trying to use the court “to frustrate constitutional processes”, and to challenge the Opposition’s constitutional right to withdraw the motion.
“A notice of motion of vote of no confidence is a private notice which can be withdrawn anytime under the Standing Order,” he said.
“Standing Order 136 allows for the right of a private member to withdraw a private notice of motion, and it can be withdrawn at any time.
“The prime minister is simply trying to tell the court that the withdrawal should be stopped and they (Opposition) should not be allowed to withdraw it, and what they have done was an abuse of process. They are trying to get the court to rule that the withdrawal was wrong and it should be allowed to continue.”