The Supreme Court is expected to deliver its ruling at 3 o’clock on an application sought by convicted former NPF chairman Jimmy Maladina.
Maladina is seeking an interim order to put off his sentencing that is scheduled for July 15 before Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika.
He went before Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia who is sitting as a single Supreme Court judge on July 6 seeking a stay against the National Court sentencing of him next Wednesday.
His application comes after the Supreme Court on Friday July 3 granted leave to Maladina to appeal his conviction on the ground that the trial judge, Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, convicted Maladina on indirect evidence.
The Chief Justice on Monday said this is the first of such applications going before the Supreme Court where a convicted prisoner is seeking interim orders against his sentencing.
Maladina’s lawyer Greg Sheppard told the Supreme Court on Monday that they want Maladina’s conviction to be reviewed quickly before any punishment is imposed by the court.
Meanwhile State lawyer Laura Kuvi submitted on Monday that such an application is a case pre-empting (preventing) a decision of the National Court to stop a legitimate process.
Maladina was convicted by Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika on May 21.