Four on $370K bribery charges front court

The four people alleged to have been involved in a Nasinu Town Council Scam in 2020, appeared before the High Court in Suva yesterday for their pre-trial conference.

Former information officer Pauliasi Bainivalu and the three directors of an information technology company called Innovative Technology; Shiu Raman, Razia Bibi and Eliki Bola, appeared before Judge Justice Usaia Ratuvili with charges related to bribery offences of $370,000 from the council.

During the court proceeding, Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption (FICAC) lawyer, Josann Pene informed the court that the lawyer of Raman, Bibi and Bola has disagreed to everything presented by FICAC in their last meeting.

Defence lawyer Jioji Cakau told the court that the responses he gave last Friday were responses he received from his clients.

He said he met with his clients yesterday morning where he tried to convince them, but his clients were still adamant with their responses to the trial bundle presented by Ms Pene.

Mr Cakau has asked for another PTC to try and convince his clients about the trial bundle presented by FICAC. Justice Ratuvili said that doing this was prolonging the matter which needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. Justice Ratuvili adjourned the matter to August 8 to have this matter sorted. Trial is from August 13 to 30.

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