An Afghan national who is jointly charged with a former customs official on bribery allegations was given time by the High Court in Suva to renew his work permit.

The High Court has however told Abdul Shekeb to surrender his passport on or before December 13, 2017, soon after which the Department of Immigration will renew his work permit.

Shekeb was charged with allegedly bribing the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service acting manager, National Border, Josefa Marawa in 2015.

Marawa was also charged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for allegedly receiving the bribe.

FICAC lawyer, Anaseini Lomani did not object to the defence lawyer’s request to renew Shekeb’s work permit. He also asked for another mention date to check the status of the said application.

The case has been set for trial in April 2018.

Both will however reappear in court on January 29, 2018.

Edited by Mohammed Zulfikar

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