Fiji Sun wins defamation battle

The High Court in Suva has ruled that a 2019 Fiji Sun article reporting on the condemnation of rotten meat at Hansons Supermarket in Makoi, Nasinu, was not defamatory.

Justice Thushara Rajasinghe delivered the ruling yesterday, dismissing all claims brought by Hansons Supermarket Pte Limited against this masthead and three other defendants.

They are the Nasinu Town Council, a council health inspector, and the Consumer Council of Fiji.

The case stemmed from a June 2019 inspection at the supermarket, during which council officers and Consumer Council staff found meat and other frozen items unfit for human consumption.

The Fiji Sun reported on the condemnation and destruction of those goods.

Hansons argued the article was false and damaged its reputation. However, the court found the article did not imply any wrongdoing in how the supermarket was run – it only reported on the condition of the goods found during the inspection.

The court also found that evidence presented at trial – including testimony from the supermarket's own witnesses – confirmed the items were unfit for sale.

On the negligence claims against the council and Consumer Council, the court held that those bodies owed no common law duty of care to the supermarket, as their statutory role was to protect consumers, not businesses.

Hansons was ordered to pay $5000 costs to each of the four defendants.

The Fiji Sun was represented by Patel Sharma Lawyers, Ashitosh Kumar and Firdouz Khalim.