The appointment of Tetiro Semilota as acting chief justice has fuelled concerns over democratic backsliding in tiny Kiribati as its government pursues closer ties with China.
Semilota was sworn in at the weekend after serving as attorney-general for President Taneti Maamau’s pro-Beijing government, which clashed repeatedly and openly with the Kiribati judiciary.
Semilota, who is the first woman and Kiribati national in the job, was to be formally welcomed in a special sitting of the high court today.
But New Zealand’s foreign ministry said its high commissioner to Kiribati would not attend or speak at the sitting.
Wellington is “concerned” over potential conflicts of interest, a foreign ministry spokesperson told AFP.
It has asked for more information from Kiribati “to better understand the situation”.
“We have previously registered New Zealand’s concerns for the independence of the judiciary with the government of Kiribati at the highest level,” the spokesperson added.
It is common throughout the Pacific for retired judges from Australia or New Zealand to take up senior roles in an island nation’s judiciary.
Legal bodies in Australia and New Zealand have also criticised Semilota’s appointment.
“Respect for the rule of law demands that judicial officers be wholly independent from the government of the day and have security of tenure,” Australian Bar Association president Dr Matt Collins told AFP.
“Neither of these principles has been respected.”
In the latest wrangle with the judiciary, the Kiribati government suspended three court of appeals judges in September, leaving no-one to preside over the high court.
Semilota is taking over from the former chief justice, New Zealander William Hastings, who was also suspended by the government earlier in the year.
Hastings, like his court of appeals colleagues, had thwarted government attempts to deport a fellow high court judge, Australian-born David Lambourne, who is married to Kiribati’s opposition leader.
Kiribati, which has a population of around 120,000 spread over 32 atolls and islands, established diplomatic links with China in 2019.
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi visited the capital Tarawa during a tour of the Pacific last May, signing 10 agreements covering areas such as the climate and the economy.