Serve minister in Parliament, High Court orders

A senior Government minister will have to be served court documents at Parliament after repeated attempts to serve them were unsuccessful.

The High Court in Suva yesterday directed that the minister be served at the Parliament complex during the next sitting after a lawyer told the court that attempts to serve the documents had been unsuccessful.

Lawyer Patrick Kumar of Patrick Kumar Lawyers appeared for the plaintiff.

Mr Kumar told the court that the minister had not been cooperating with the bailiff despite multiple attempts to serve the court documents.

The High Court subsequently directed that the documents be served on the minister in Parliament. This masthead has chosen not to disclose details of the matter.

When contacted yesterday, the minister described it as a “personal matter with the family” and said it was “before court”.

Asked if avoiding the bailiff had been a tactic, the minister replied: “The bailiff should find me.”

The court will hear the matter again on September 3 for mention.

The order means the next Parliament sitting could provide an unusual setting for the formal service of court documents on a sitting Government minister.

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