RFMF takes custody of Nikolic firearms exhibits
Officers immediately transferred a revolver, short gun, empty magazine and 77 rounds of ammunition.
Wednesday 07 October 2026 | 08:00
Military Police officers immediately transferred the exhibits, including a revolver pistol, a short gun, an empty magazine and 77 rounds of ammunition.
Ronald Kumar
Firearms and ammunition exhibits from the criminal case involving Australian national John Geoffrey Nikolic have been transferred from the High Court in Suva to the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) for safekeeping amid an ongoing investigation into missing cocaine exhibits from the court’s exhibit room.
Justice Daniel Goundar yesterday ordered the Court Registrar to transfer the firearms and ammunition from their current custodian to the RFMF.
Military Police officers immediately transferred the exhibits, including a revolver pistol, a short gun, an empty magazine and 77 rounds of ammunition.
Related stories
The exhibits will be secured in the military armoury until further order of the court.
The transfer follows the investigation into one of two missing cocaine exhibits from the court’s exhibit room in Suva.
Under the order, the RFMF must preserve the identity, integrity and condition of the exhibits.
The order allows custody only and does not permit their use, alteration, disposal, release or transfer of ownership.
Before the handover, court officials were required to check each item against the court’s exhibit register.
An inventory and receipt recording the description, quantity, serial number and condition of each exhibit was signed by the respective assigned officers handing over and receiving the items. Any discrepancy must be reported to the court.
The court also ordered that every subsequent access to or movement of the exhibits be recorded to maintain the chain of custody.
The items must be produced whenever required for the proceedings.
Justice Goundar further directed that the parties, the Registrar and the RFMF may seek further directions on the custody, preservation or production of the exhibits as the case progresses.
Nikolic was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2019, with an 18-year non-parole period.
The former Australian horse trainer was convicted of smuggling 12.9kg of cocaine, 65 tablets of cocaine and methamphetamine, and possessing arms and ammunition without an arms licence.
