[JURIST] Fourteen members of Parliament in Vanuatu were sentenced to prison Thursday for bribery. Thirteen politicians reportedly accepted bribes [BBC report] of 35 million vatu (USD $312,000) from Deputy Prime Minister Moana Caracasses of the opposing party last year in exchange for their support in a vote of no confidence. Caracasses was sentenced to four years in prisonn and the 13 others found guilty [Guardian report] by the Supreme Court last week were sentenced to three years in prison. Because the individuals convicted have been sentenced to over two years in prison, they cannot keep their seats in parliament [ABC report], making it likely that a new election must be called. Finance Minister Willy Jimmy was given a suspended sentence of 20 months, as he was the only accused member of parliament who pled guilty to the charges.

Last week Vanuatu authorities arrested [JURIST report] 11 of the convicted parliament members who had pardoned themselves of their corruption convictions while President Baldwin Lonsdale [BBC profile] was abroad. Speaker Marcellino Pipite used his temporary executive powers to pardon himself and 10 others, even though pardons only apply to individuals who have been sent to jail. Upon returning to Vanuatu, Lonsdale revoked the pardons [Guardian report], saying Pipite disregarded the constitution with his actions, which led to the arrests. According to the letter he sent to the court, Pipite stated that he was issuing the pardons in order “to maintain stability in the government of the republic of Vanuatu.” Pipite also used the temporary powers granted to him while Lonsdale was away to suspend the country’s ombudsman in an ongoing struggle for influence among the country’s top leaders. The pardons eventually led to what many called a political crisis in the country. The pardons had angered many of the country’s citizens, as they had hoped the convictions would lead to the end of serious corruption throughout the country’s leadership.