Photographing suspects was routine, says officer in Qiliho-Bainimarama trial

Photographing suspects before they are charged is a standard procedure carried out by police officers.

This was the argument made by Police Inspector Penieli Ratei, one of two officers implicated by former Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho and former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in 2021.

The officers were terminated from the Force for taking photographs of former PM Bainimarama’s brother, Jonacani Bainimarama, and sharing them in Viber group chats with the caption: “drug trafficker suspect.” Inspector Ratei appeared as the ninth State prosecution witness on the third day of the trial against Qiliho and Bainimarama at the High Court in Suva yesterday.

During proceedings, Inspector Ratei said they were unaware that photographing suspects was unlawful, as it was a standard procedure followed within the Force. He added that the photos were shared in active Viber groups used by police officers across different divisions to communicate efficiently, especially when profiling suspects.

He said Jonacani Bainimarama’s photo was uploaded to Southern Division Operations Team (SDOT) and the COVID-19 Ops Team. He had instructed Police Constable Tomasi Naulu to upload his photo on SDOT, after which he then forwarded the same photo to COVID-19 Ops Team chat group.

Inspector Ratei said there was nothing unusual about the photographs, as images were regularly shared in the chat groups in which Qiliho was also a member. He explained that Jonacani Bainimarama was labelled a suspect due to an incident that occurred in April 2021, during COVID-19 border operations.

Authorities had received information from the Internal Affairs Unit about a taxi parked near the Delainavesi Bridge that was allegedly carrying drugs. A team was deployed to the area and found Jonacani Bainimarama inside the taxi, with a black bag full of marijuana placed on the passenger seat. When questioned, the suspect stated that he was transporting the drugs to someone waiting on the other side of the bridge.

During cross-examination, Inspector Ratei admitted that, although the actions taken were unlawful, this was only realised after then Acting Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu issued a directive via a Force Routine Order (FRO), which finalised the disciplinary action.

Defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma questioned the disciplinary action taken against Mr Tudravu, noting that he had been sent on 51 days of annual leave while still receiving full pay. In response, Inspector Ratei stated that under the provisions of the Police Act, Mr Tudravu was entitled to annual leave during the course of an interdiction.

He also dismissed the defence’s claims that he had provided information about the case to the Minister for Defence, Pio Tikoduadua, which allegedly led to Mr Tikoduadua’s complaint to the Constitutional Offices Commission. Constable Naulu also took the stand yesterday.

The trial will continue next Tuesday, August 12.