An executive member of Australia's peak legal body says reports that two Australian lawyers have been banned from entering Papua New Guinea raises serious questions about judicial independence.
The lawyers, Greg Egan and Terence Lambert, were preparing to represent PNG investigators in a major fraud case against the Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill.
But they were blocked from entering the country, apparently on instruction from Chief Migration Officer Mataio Rabura.
An executive member for the Law Council of Australia, Morry Bailes, says he is disturbed by the reports.
"It can be seen to be the executive arm of government interfering in a judicial process and we all know the importance of the doctrine of the separation of powers, this is a potential abuse of the doctrine of the separation of powers because the executive government shouldn't be meddling in matters before the courts."
Morry Bailes is urging the PNG Government to sort out the visa issues immediately, saying it's not a good look.