The Magistrates Court in Lautoka yesterday granted bail to a man charged with one count of obtaining financial advantage by deception.

He appeared before Magistrate Mosese Naivalu. It is alleged that between July 14, 2013 and February 25, 2014 Pramendra Rajesh Sharma, of Rakiraki, engaged himself as a lawyer and conducted dealings businesswomen in Lautoka where he attained groceries, liquor and cash worth around $9950.

The court then ordered that the accused be granted bail of $3000 with two sureties, stop departure to be issued and the accused to report to the Nalawa Police Post, Ra Province, every Friday between 6am and 6pm.

Sharma told the court that he was a final-year law student at University of Fiji based in Samabula, Suva, and that he only had two units left to complete.

He also told the court that he had classes every day. The Police then told the court that they haven’t recovered any of items involved.

Defence lawyer Iqbal Khan requested that the case to be heard, in Rakiraki, where the accused lived. Magistrate Naivalu, in response, said Police didn’t want to move the file away from Lautoka.