Speaker of Parliament Filimone Jitoko says court documents cannot be served on Members of Parliament within the parliamentary precincts while Parliament is sitting.
Jitoko made the clarification in Parliament this morning, following a news report suggesting that a senior government minister, who has reportedly been difficult to locate for the service of court documents, could be served while in Parliament.
He says under Section 5 of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act 1965, no court documents can be served or executed within the precincts of Parliament while Parliament is sitting.
Jitoko says MPs also cannot be served through the Speaker, the Clerk or any other officer of Parliament during a sitting.
He says the protection is not intended to place MPs above the law or provide them with immunity from legal proceedings.
The Speaker says MPs remain subject to the jurisdiction of the courts and can be served outside the parliamentary precincts or when Parliament is not sitting.
