The much awaited tax-free case for Members of Parliament (MPs) that will be heard in the Court of Appeal next month will be a benchmark for reference purposes, Members of Parliament Entitlement Commission (PEC) has revealed.
In an exclusive interview with this paper a PEC spokesperson said the case is an interesting one, as it will educate our people as well on how the laws in our constitution operates.
He said this case has angered the public over taxpayers’ money to foot the legal costs, but on the positive side of this it will set a benchmark for similar cases coming in the future.
He added it is time everyone anticipates to learn from bigger issues affecting different interpretation of the laws, particularly when it clashes with the interests of the legislators (MPs).
“So on one hand we viewed it as another money making privileges by MPs, but on the other hand the nature of such cases needs to put to test, in order to set the right precedence for the future,” he explained.
“So we welcomed a foreigner to preside over this case, since the Chief Justice who made the High Court decision is a Solomon Islander, thus may have the same feeling as the concern citizens of this country,” the spokesperson concluded.
By AATAI JOHN
