Laqeni defence seeks Corrections SOP over hospital claim
Defence says the document could support Laqeni’s claim that he was at hospital the day after the alleged killing.
Tuesday 11 August 2026 | 13:30
Updated 12 August 2026 | 10:07 FJT
Former Fiji Corrections Service officer Epeli Laqeni outside the High Court in Suva on September 11, 2026.
Photo: Ronald Kumar
The defence in the alleged murder case involving former Fiji Corrections Service officer Epeli Laqeni is seeking an internal procedure that it says could support his claim about his whereabouts after the alleged killing.
Laqeni appeared before Justice Usaia Ratuvili in the High Court in Suva yesterday, facing a murder charge over the alleged death of his de-facto partner in Nakasi between September 3 and 5 last year.
Defence lawyer Timoci Varinava has filed an application seeking the Fiji Corrections Service Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
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The defence says the document is relevant to its case because it could show that Laqeni was not at work the day after the alleged incident but was instead at a hospital.
The State is opposing the application for the SOP. Justice Ratuvili has given the defence 14 days to file its motion.
The State has also been directed to file an affidavit in response to the defence application. The case was adjourned to September 15 for the hearing of the motion.
