The Suva High Court on Friday allowed the editor-in-chief of the Fiji Times newspaper, Fred Wesley to travel to Sydney, Australia to attend a workshop on the media industry in September.

However, the Judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe told Wesley that he could only travel on or after September 2 and must return to the country before September 9.

Immediately after returning, Wesley has been told to surrender his travel documents to the High Court Registry.

Wesley faces a charge of sedition along with Fiji Times, its Publisher Hank Arts, editor Nai Lalakai Anare Ravula and an article writer to the Nai Lalakai.

It is alleged that Wesley on April 27, 2016 in his capacity as the editor-in-chief of the Nai Lalakai newspaper did aid and abet Hank Arts to publish an article which contained a statement which was a seditious publication.

Defence Counsel, Faizal Haniff had applied for Wesley’s bail variation earlier on.

In addition, Mr Haniff had submitted that his client also intended to attend the Newspaper of the Year Awards 2017 which was scheduled to be held on September 6 and Advertising and Marketing Awards on September 7, 2017.

Edited by Karalaini

Waqanidrola

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