HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii’s acting chief justice issued a rare public apology Monday, withdrawing a controversial opinion that had cast doubt on the criminal prosecution of three city officials convicted in a corruption scheme.

Justice Sabrina McKenna, who now serves as acting chief justice, formally retracted her concurring opinion regarding the cases of Donna Leong, Roy Amemiya and Max Sword.

The three officials were prosecuted for allegedly passing city council measures to pay off former Police Chief Louis Kealoha to retire.

Last week, McKenna had written in her concurrent opinion that she didn’t believe the three officials broke the law, raising questions about the validity of their prosecutions.

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