Malanis’ Contempt Of Court Case Called In High Court

The Contempt of Court case filed against Veron­ica and Manoa Malani was called at the Civil High Court in Suva yesterday.

The couple, represented by lawyer Siminone Valenitabua, appeared before Justice Vish­wa Dutt Sharma.

Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has filed a contempt of court proceedings against the couple.

They were served with the application for an order of committal in the High Court, after they made com­ments against the Judiciary and members of the Judiciary on September 10, 2021, in a live video posted on Facebook.

• The application by the Attor­ney-General alleges that the Malani couple’s statements are contemptuous in that:
• They have been deliber­ately made with the intention to scandalise the Court and the Judiciary in Fiji; and
• Are a scurrilous attack on members of the Judiciary thereby lowering or under­mining or posing a real risk of lowering or undermining the reputation of the Judiciary, the public confidence in the Judici­ary, and the administration of justice in Fiji.

The Attorney-General is seek­ing the following orders:

• An order of Committal against Veronica and Manoa Malani for contempt of Court and that the said Veronica and Manoa Malani be committed to prison; and
• That the said Veronica and Manoa Malani do pay costs of and occasioned by these pro­ceedings on an indemnity ba­sis; and
• Such other order(s) as the Court may deem just.

In court yesterday, Mr Valen­itabua said he was challenging the translation of the video in the iTaukei language translat­ed by Simione Sevudredre.

He further told the court that he would be filing three affida­vits of which two would be of Veronica and Manoa Malani’s and one of an experts in iTaukei language.

The court has given 28 days to Mr Valenitabua to file his affidavit while the Attorney-General’s Office has been given 14 days thereafter to file their response.

The matter will be called for mention on November 16.

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