Court to rule on Punja’s abuse of process claim in drug case

The Suva Magistrates Court will rule on an application by the lawyers of Fiji Blue Gas director Thakor Punja claiming there was an abuse of process during the police investigation into his drug charges.

Punja appeared before Resident Magistrate Yogesh Prasad yesterday as his defence raised concerns about the conduct of the investigation.

Punja is charged with three counts of being found in possession of illicit drugs.

It is alleged that on May 11, 2024, at Lami in the Central Division, he was found without lawful authority in possession of 0.841 grams of methamphetamine, 5.447 grams of cocaine and 16.6 grams of cannabis sativa.

During the hearing, Punja’s lawyer Samuela Heritage argued that his client’s right to a fair trial had been breached because police had abused the investigation process.

Mr Heritage told the court the prosecution stated that five police officers carried out the raid at his client’s home, but CCTV footage showed more than 10 officers present.

He also argued that not all witness statements had been disclosed to the defence.

Mr Heritage further raised concerns about the search warrant used by police on the day of the raid, saying it did not have the official Magistrate’s stamp.

He also told the court that the investigating officer’s statement referred to the incident as occurring in 2025 when it had in fact happened in 2024.

However, State prosecutors argued that the Suva Magistrates Court did not have jurisdiction to hear the defence application.

Punja remains on bail.