Justice Cameron said that he will decide on the decision and give his ruling on the later date when he heard an appeal on Monday against Shanel's sentence in the Magistrate's Court to go to prison for nine months.
Honiara private law Andrew Radcliff who acted for Shanel in appealing against the sentence in the High Court argued that the sentence was too excessive as his client was a first time offender and should be have been given a shorter sentence rather than nine months imprisonment.
Radclyffe also argued that the offences for which his client had been charged did not constitute abuse of the public office he was holding at the time.
Mary Chalmers from the Director of Public Prosecution's (DPP)office opposed the submission and said that the sentence was balanced. That Shanel should be given five years in jail in such case.
Shanel became the third MP in the current house to lose his seat in court. The other two are the former MP for East Honiara Charles Dausabea and the MP for Savo Russells and former Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza.
Under current Solomon Islands laws, if a sitting MP gets an imprisonment sentence of six months or more he automatically loses his seat in Parliament.
National Express
Judgement on Chanel's Appeal on a Later Date
Justice David Cameron on Monday has reserved his judgment on the jailed Central Guadalcanal MP Peter Shanel for a later date.
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