Resident Magistrate Seini Puamau will deliver her judgement in the trial of former Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Commissioner of Police Sitiveni Qiliho next Thursday.
Magistrate Puamau has ordered both the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Defence Counsel to file their written submission by 4pm this Friday.
On 28 September, Magistrate Puamau had ordered both parties to file their submissions by Wednesday but due to the sudden death of the Acting Director of the Office of the Public Prosecutions, Ratu David Toganivalu on Monday, she has given time to state associate Nimisha Shankar time to file the submission.
Magistrate Puamau declined Shankar’s request to submit her written submission next Monday.
Meanwhile defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma said he is ready to serve his submission and suggested that he and the State file the submissions by Friday to allow the court to look over the documents over the weekend.
The judgement will be delivered at 3pm.
Bainimarama is charged with one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice, while Qiliho is charged with a count of abuse of office.
It is alleged that Bainimarama sometime in July 2020 as the Prime Minister directed the Police Commissioner to stop the investigation into a police complaint, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was an arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of the University of the South Pacific which is the complainant.
It is alleged that Qiliho on 15 July 2020 as the Police Commissioner directed the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department, Serupepeli Neiko and Inspector Reshmi Dass to stop investigations into the police complaint by the USP, in the abuse of authority of his office, which was the arbitrary act of prejudicial to the rights to USP.
Bainimarama and Qiliho are represented by R Patel Lawyers, Sharma and Gul Fatima while ODPP associate Shankar is representing the state.
SOURCE: FIJI LIVE/PACNEWS
