Former journalist and senior civil servant Sainiana Radrodro walked out of the Suva Magistrates Court a free woman yesterday.

Mrs Radrodro was acquitted by Magistrate Waleen George yesterday after charges that she obtained a financial advantage by falsely using the then Minister for Works’ name to obtain a total of $9560 on nine separate occasions between May 2010 and June 2011.

The incidents she was charged with were alleged to have happened when she was the Ministry of Works Media Liaison Officer.

Mrs Radrodro thanked everyone who has been with her throughout the trial.

“I thank the Lord for his grace and I thank my lawyer (Filimoni Vosarogo), my husband (Aseri Radrodro), my children and everyone who stood by us throughout this hard time,” she said.

“I just want to get on with my life now. I lost everything and my children really suffered and my husband and family had to put up with a lot of shame as well.

“I am just grateful to the justice system and I am also grateful to FICAC. They taught me a lot and that is to respect official procedure and it has taught me humanity.

“My husband, my children, lawyers and my family have been my backbone throughout my trial. They believed in me despite everything that people have said.

“I just want to go and have a good sleep. I guess this is going to be the best sleep I will have after seven years.”

Magistrate George said the prosecution did not prove all the elements of the offence of Obtaining Financial Advantage by Deception contrary to section 318 of the Crimes Act 2009 against the defendant.

“After carefully considering the evidence, this court finds that the prosecution has not proven beyond reasonable doubt that the monies obtained by the Defendant, as charged, constituted a financial benefit to her,” Magistrate George said.

“That is to say, this court is not satisfied that the Defendant became financially better off as a result of receiving that money from each of the witnesses named in the counts against her.

“Moreover, the court finds that the prosecution had not proved the elements of deception and dishonesty beyond a reasonable doubt in respect of counts 1 and 2, counts 4 to 8 and counts 10 and 11 of the charge.

“The nine counts of Obtaining Financial Advantage by Deception against the defendant are dismissed. The defendant is acquitted forthwith.”

Edited by Epineri Vula

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