Judge Sets Trial Dates For Bangladeshi Charged With Murder

A Bangladeshi national charged with murder, has had his trial date be set for next month.

This was the decision at the  High Court in Lautoka  by Justice Riyaz Hamza who presided over the matter yesterday.

The accused, Mohammed Masum, was alleged to have murdered Mohammed Nazrul Islam Khandakar and Rohan Bepari at Rarawai, Ba in April 2020. It was alleged that he shared a flat with the two deceased men in the area where the incident took place.

Masum was represented by Legal Aid Commission lawyer Alanieta Bilivalu and Taitusi Tuenuku appeared for the prosecution.

Mr Tuenuku told the court the state would be relying on the caution interview and he had filed the voir dire disclosures.

He also confirmed to the court he finalised the pretrial checklist and the agreed facts which he sought to serve to the court.

The court heard that there would be circumstantial evidence involved in the case and that the state would be calling 16 witnesses for the trial and nine for the voir dire hearing.

Justice Hamza said he would call the matter in a few weeks time to fix the trial date.

Ms Bilivalu told the court that the state was yet to respond to Masum’s bail application and that he had been in remand since April 20, 2020.

Mr Tuenuku told the court that the state would be objecting to bail, but he would need 14 days to file the objections.

Justice Hamza adjourned the matter to April 6, for both the substantive and bail matters respectively.

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