International and regional journalist groups say the sentence given to a government minister, who had been found guilty of involvement in an assault on a newspaper publisher, as extremely lenient.
The Minister of Public Utilities and Infrastructure Harry Iauko was fined the equivalent of $150.
Marie-Noelle Ferrieux-Patterson, from Transparency International in Vanuatu, said more pressure needs to be placed on the Vanuatu government to improve the effectiveness of the public prosecutors office.
“Australia is a big help in the legal sector,” she said.
“China is also being asked to help a lot, so as long as aid continues to come into this country without any pressure in the right direction then yes it will continue and I think that is…what the Vanuatu government has experienced — they basically can do what they want.”
Meanwhile, the Vanuatu government is maintaining its silence over criticism of the light sentence given to a cabinet minister found guilty of involvement in an assault on a newspaper publisher.
The Australian branch of the International Council of Jurists, which monitors the fairness of legal systems worldwide, says it is seeking information about the case.
But the government has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
