Pay up, court orders Chaudhry, Bidesi
Fiji Labour Party leader and Bidesi owe State and Attorney-General’ s office $2000; further $500 added to the State for the delay.
Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry, has been ordered by the High Court in Suva to pay up the $2000 owed to the Attorney-General and the State since July 2017.
Chaudhry filed another application to have another go on his attempt to stand in the 2018 General Election.
The first application was filed, but was struck out by the court eight months prior. However, when the matter was called before Justice Kamal Kumar, Solicitor-General Sharvada Sharma informed the court that in July of 2017, Justice David Alfred had thrown out Chaudhry and party member Karam Bidesi’s bid to contest the 2018 elections.
It was then that Justice Alfred had ordered the two to pay the State and the Attorney-General costs amounting to $2000. The payment has been pending since then.
Yesterday, Justice Kumar put a stay on proceedings for another bid by Chaudhry to stand for the election until Chaudhry and Bidesi pay the court costs, which were awarded in the 2017 matter. He further awarded $500 to the State for the delay on Chaudhry and Bidesi’s part.
Mr Sharma has filed a strike out application on the substantive matter since the court does not have jurisdiction to hear the matter.
According to the 2013 Fijian Constitution a person cannot be a candidate in a general election if he or she has been convicted for a crime where the maximum penalty is a prison term of 12 months or more. Lautoka lawyer Aman Ravindra-Singh appeared for Chaudhry.
The ruling on the amendment of the information regarding the Fiji Times alleged sedition case has been deferred for the second time in the Suva High Court.
Judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe informed all counsels that he needed more time to prepare the ruling because he was engaged in another trial and that he would be in Labasa in the coming week. The case was then adjourned for ruling on the matter on April 9, 2018.
Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Lee Burney told Justice Rajasinghe that he would be out of the country on that date and that another counsel would be instructed to appear in court. Justice Rajasinghe also informed defence counsels that there was a notice of motion filed by Mr Burney which was pending before the court.
He then informed them that he would give directions on the next court date for submissions to be made regarding the motion and for a hearing to be scheduled thereafter before trial begins on April 30, 2018 to May 4, 2018. Accused Nai-Lalakai column writer Josaia Waqabaca appeared with his lawyer Aman Ravindra-Singh, Nai-Lalakai Editor Anare Ravula was represented by Devanesh Sharma, Fiji Times Editor-in-Chief Fred Wesley and Fiji Times Publisher Hank Arts were represented by Wylie Clarke while the newspaper company was represented by Nicholas Barnes.
Bail was extended for all the accused men.
Charges
It is alleged that between April 2027, 2016 in Suva, Waqabaca wrote and submitted an article for publication in the Nai Lalakai newspaper and in the article made a statement with a seditious intention to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of the population of Fiji.
It is alleged that on April 27, 2016 in his capacity as the editor of the Nai Lalakai newspaper the second accused Ravula aided and abetted, Arts; the publisher, to publish an article which contained a statement which was a seditious publication.
It is alleged that on April 27, 2016 in his capacity as the editor-inchief of the Nai Lalakai newspaper Wesley also aided and abetted Arts to publish an article which contained a statement which was a seditious publication.
It is alleged that on April 27, 2016 in his capacity as the publisher of the Nai Lalakai newspaper Arts published an article which contained a statement which was a seditious publication.
It is alleged that on April 27, 2016 Fiji Times Limited printed the Nai Lalakai newspaper which contained an article which contained a statement which was a seditious publication.