Apisai Ielemia

Apisai Ielemia
10th Prime Minister of Tuvalu
In office
14 August 2006 – 29 September 2010
MonarchElizabeth II
Governors GeneralFiloimea Telito
Kamuta Latasi
Iakoba Italeli
Preceded byMaatia Toafa
Succeeded byMaatia Toafa
Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Environment, Trade, Labour and Tourism
In office
24 December 2010 – 2 August 2013
Prime MinisterWilly Telavi
Preceded byEnele Sopoaga (Foreign Affairs, Environment and Labour)
Succeeded byTaukelina Finikaso (Minister of Environment, Foreign Affairs, Labour, and Trade)
Personal details
Born(1955-08-19)19 August 1955
Died19 November 2018(2018-11-19) (aged 63)
Funafuti, Tuvalu
SpouseSikinala Ielemia

Apisai Ielemia (19 August 1955 – 19 November 2018)[1] was a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010, and also held the role as Foreign Minister. He was returned as a member of parliament in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election. He was re-elected to parliament in the 2015 Tuvaluan general election. On 5 October 2016 Chief Justice Sweeney of the High Court of Tuvalu declared that Ielemia’s parliamentary seat was vacant as he was not qualified to be a member of parliament, as the consequence of the short time the opposition MP served time in jail following his conviction on 6 May 2016 in the Magistrate’s Court of charges of abuse of office during the final year of his term as prime minister (August 2006 to September 2010).[2][3][4] The abuse of office charges related to payments deposited into a National Bank of Tuvalu personal account. The 5 October 2016 decision of the Chief Justice[5] was controversial as it appeared to contradict the June 2016 decision of Justice Norman Franzi of the High Court of Tuvalu that had quashed Ielemia’s conviction and acquitted him of the abuse of office charges. The appeal to the High Court held that the conviction was "manifestly unsafe," with the court quashing the 12-month jail term.[6][7]

In an application for leave to appeal his ruling, Chief Justice Charles Sweeney found:[5] "When The Hon. Apisai Ielemia commenced to serve his sentence on 6 May 2016, he became a person who was then disqualified from being elected as a member of Parliament". The judge specified that if Ielemia had, in the context of his appeal, sought "an order staying his sentence of imprisonment [before] he had commenced to serve it", then his seat would not have become vacant, as he would not have been imprisoned.[8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference radionz2018-11-22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Tuvalu MP claims nepotism after exclusion". Radio New Zealand. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Tuvalu PM calls media reports blatant lies". Radio New Zealand. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  4. ^ Pareti, Samisoni. "Tuvalu demonstrate against top judge, former PM seeks re-election in Vaitupu seat". PINA/ISLANDS BUSINESS/PACNEWS. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b Chief Justice Charles Sweeney (2 November 2016). "Attorney General v Apisai Ielemia" (PDF). CASE NO 5/16. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Drama full day in Funafuti". Island Business. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Legitimacy of Tuvalu by-election questioned". Radio New Zealand. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Tuvalu demonstrate against top judge, former PM seeks re-election in Vaitupu seat", Pacific Islands News Association, 12 December 2016