‘Jail them’: Chief Justice on missing cocaine exhibits
He only became aware of the missing exhibits when he read the court papers yesterday morning.
Friday 18 September 2026 | 10:30
Chief Justice Salesi Temo speaking to reporters outside his chambers in Suva on September 17, 2026.
Photo: Ronald Kumar
Chief Justice Salesi Temo has called for whoever stole seven bars of cocaine from the High Court Exhibit Room to be jailed and removed from the judiciary.
“Whoever is going to be found to be responsible, I’d like to see that person in jail; there’s no room for that kind of person in our judicial,” Justice Temo said yesterday.
“Whoever this guy who stole it... I want to speak to his face after, you know, get out of the judicial system and let justice take its course.”
Related stories
The seven bars, valued at more than $8 million, are understood to have gone missing from the High Court Exhibit Room in Suva earlier this year.
They were among 39 bars of cocaine, valued at about $31 million, seized in a case involving Canadian national Joshua Rahman, who was convicted and sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment by Justice Daniel Goundar in 2021.
The cocaine had been stored in the court’s exhibit room since 2019, five years before Justice Temo became Chief Justice.
Justice Temo said the drugs should have been destroyed after Rahman’s conviction and sentencing, and blamed the prosecutor in charge of the case for failing to ensure this was done.
“Even at the Supreme Court level, the prosecutor didn’t tell us that the drugs hadn’t been destroyed yet,” he said.
“So, in my view, whoever the prosecutor in charge of the case is not organised.”
Justice Temo said standard procedure in cases involving large quantities of drugs was to seek their destruction before trial.
He cited the case involving Justin Ho, where Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku filed an application with the High Court for 4.15 tonnes of methamphetamine to be destroyed before trial.
He said the same approach should have been taken in the Rahman case.
Justice Temo said no application for the destruction of the cocaine was filed after conviction and sentence, during the appeal process, or before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
He only became aware of the missing exhibits when he read the court papers yesterday morning.
Justice Temo said the incident was a learning curve for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and judiciary, which needed to strengthen security around court exhibits.
He intends to instruct Supreme Court officers to call the matter next Monday to deal with the remaining 32 bars, but had since left the matter in the hands of Justice Goundar.
“Resident Magistrates and High Court Judges have always been strictly warned to ensure that the destruction of drugs is expedited before or after the trial,” he said.
Three High Court officials, including a senior High Court clerk, a clerk officer and a court orderly now based at the High Court in Ba, are understood to be prime suspects.
A meeting was convened at the Attorney-General’s Office last night, where the Commissioner of Police, Rusiate Tudravu, Assistant Police Commissioner Crime Loraini Seru, Chief Registrar Tomasi Bainivalu, Acting DPP Nancy Tikoisuva and the Acting AG Siromi Turaga met to discuss the matter.
Questions sent to the ODPP were acknowledged, with a statement expected later.
Police are investigating the matter.
Feedback: Beranadeta@fijisun.com.fj
