Vanuatu's former prime minister has been handed a suspended jail sentence after being found guilty of perjury.

Key points:

Salwai was found to have lied during a legal challenge launched over the creation of senior government positions

He is the fourth former prime minister or deputy prime minister to be sentenced to jail in recent years

Salwai has been in Parliament for 18 years

Charlot Salwai was sentenced to two years and three months in jail after he misled the Supreme Court about the decision to create parliamentary secretary positions when in government in 2016.

The sentence was suspended but he will have to vacate his seat in Parliament.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-03/vanuatu-former-prime-minister-charlot-salwai-guilty-perjury/13116560

VANUATU PRIME MINISTER CONVICTED OF PERJURY, LOOSES POST