Drug accused misses court again, warrant issued

A bench warrant has been issued for a man jointly charged with unlawful possession of illicit drugs after he failed to appear in court again.

Ratu Meli Buarua and co-accused Zoe Maharaj appeared before Yogesh Prasad in the Suva Magistrate Court yesterday for their joint hearing.

However, Ratu Meli did not attend court despite being released on bail by the High Court earlier this year.

State prosecutor Tevita Naimila said Buarua had recently missed several court appearances while on bail.

He told the court the accused had again failed to appear without explanation.

Magistrate Prasad then issued a bench warrant for Buarua and ordered that he be brought before the court on May 17.

The court also heard that Maharaj remains in custody due to a separate matter before the Magistrate Court.

The case involving the pair has been adjourned to May 20 for further proceedings.

A bench warrant allows Police to arrest and produce an accused person before the court after failing to comply with bail conditions or court orders.

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