Cabinet Rescinds Chief Justice Suspension... CJ Demands appearance of Deputy PM and Attorney General tomorrow.

A full five-men Supreme Court bench has sternly instructed that Acting Prime Minister Belden Namah and Attorney General Doctor Allan Marat to appear before it tomorrow, before it can continue to hear an urgent application by the lawyers seeking to set-aside last week's orders of the court against them.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, delivered the warning on behalf of the bench, after almost ordering the detention of lawyers representing the two leaders.

The directions of the High Court, follows an eventful day today in Port Moresby, starting with the arrest of Mr. Namah and Doctor Marat.

There was hype in the capital city today, after Acting Prime Minister Belden Namah and Justice Minister and Attorney General Doctor Allan Marat, turned themselves in, to be arrested by police.

The two leaders had surrendered at the Police Headquarters at Konedobu, at half-past-ten this morning, where they were arrested.

Under a heavy guard, and a train of police escort the two leaders were brought to the Boroko Police Station where they were processed, and locked up at the police cells for just a little over two minutes before being released on an O.R or Own Recognition bail.

Mr. Namah and Doctor Marat were accompanied by members of the Cabinet, Acting Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga and members of the police hierarchy, and the media, when they were led out of the cells into their waiting vehicles.

Boroko Police Station was sealed off, while hundreds of public were barred by police from taking a peek of what was happening inside.

This afternoon lawyers representing the two leaders were almost ordered to be locked up in the cells, after a full five-men Supreme Court bench chaired by the Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, became irritated of the absence of the two leaders in court.

Sir Salamo directed that two leaders be personally present it Court, before it can continue to hear the urgent application by their lawyers seeking to set-aside last week's orders of the court against them.

Issuing the warning on behalf of his brother judges, Sir Salamo says the contemnors should be in court, or their lawyers would have to take their place in police cells.

The High Court has adjourned to tomorrow, for Mr. Namah and Doctor Marat to appear in person, before it proceeds to hear their urgent application.

The two leaders are seeking to set-aside three of the four orders of the High Court made last week, specifically order one, which calls for their arrest and detention until December 12, order two which calls for the court registrar to serve them their contempt of court charge, and order four, which is for the registrar to execute service of those orders.

Meanwhile President of the PNG Law Society and senior lawyer Kerenga Kua, has called for all lawyers, judges and magistrates to defend the Constitution, which he says, has come under attack.

Mr. Kua has also extended his call to Cabinet, asking it to meet and immediately revoke its decision to suspend the Chief Justice, a call that has come true just late this afternoon, when Cabinet withdrew its decision to suspend the Chief Justice.

In other developments, Mount Hagen residential judge Justice Colin Makail has declined to be part of a Leadership Tribunal to investigate misconduct allegations against Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia.

In a letter to NBC News, Justice Colin Makail says he only learnt of his appointment as a Tribunal member on television news last Thursday and has declined the appointment, because of conflict of interest.

Prime Minister Peter O'Neil in a statement from Hawaii where he's attending the APEC summit, has however denied that the country is facing a Constitutional crisis, saying instead that the recent events are a healthy display of the three arms of Government exercising their Constitutional democracy.

In other developments, Cabinet has 'reversed' its decision on the suspension of CJ which will go down well with the community in view of recent n escalating developments between the Executive and Judicial arms of Government.The Prime Minister is on his way back from APEC meeting at Hawaii and he will have a lot on his plate to sort out. It has come very close to a confrontational stage between the two arms of govt which was sending wrong signals.

REPORTS FROM NBC Karai Radio

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