Suspended cop granted bail after prosecution slip

Suspended police officer Elizabeth Sautu, who is charged with theft, was granted bail by the Suva Magistrate Court this morning after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions failed to comply with court orders.

Sautu, 24, is accused of stealing $3,000 from a 66-year-old man in Sigatoka last year. She appeared before Magistrate Sufia Hamza for her bail ruling.

State prosecutor Pio Navari told the court he had only recently received the file from the prosecutor in charge and was unaware of the court orders to file responses to the accused's bail application last Friday.

Magistrate Hamza told Mr Navari that, along with the responses, the prosecution was supposed to provide the bail conditions set by the Nasinu Magistrate Court as well as the particulars of her offence.

The court heard that the Nasinu matter was transferred to the High Court, while another pending matter from 2021 remains before the Suva Magistrate Court.

Sautu has been released on $2,000 cash bail with orders to report to the Raiwaqa Police Station between Tuesday and Wednesday.

She is to surrender all her travel documents and is under curfew from 6am to 6pm.

Sautu was also ordered not to reoffend while on bail and must not interfere with prosecution witnesses.

The matter has been adjourned to December 9.