Court to rule on hearsay objection in Biman Prasad trial today
Defence argues Registrar of Companies officer cannot testify about document he did not author.
Friday 04 September 2026 | 06:00
Former Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad.
Photo: Ronald Kumar
The Suva Magistrate Court is expected to rule today on a hearsay objection raised by lawyers for former Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad over a disputed document FICAC intends to put to its first witness.
Prasad faces charges of failing to comply with statutory disclosure requirements and, alternatively, providing false information in a statutory declaration.
He appeared before Resident Magistrate Yogesh Prasad yesterday for further clarification after both parties presented their arguments on Wednesday.
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FICAC Acting Senior Manager Legal Joseph Work argued that the Directorship Detail of Prasad’s Platinum Hotel & Resort Pte Limited was a public record submitted to the Registrar of Companies as part of the company’s registration requirements.
Work relied on Sections 202(2), (3), (4) and (5) of the Companies Act (Cap. 247).
Prasad’s lawyer, Richard Naidu, objected, arguing that the document was hearsay and inadmissible because it had been handed to FICAC’s first witness, Registrar of Companies executive officer Manase Talemaipapalagi.
Naidu said while Talemaipapalagi may be the custodian of the document, he could not give evidence about its contents because he was not its author.
Naidu also argued that FICAC had introduced nothing new and that the legal tests referred to in a recent case were similar to principles already contained in the Companies Act.
He referred to Sections 19, 22 and 757 of the Act and said there was little difference between applying common law principles and the Companies Act.
The trial is expected to continue after today’s ruling.
