Katia seeking bail, awaits re-sentence

Defence lawyer for former Acting Deputy Official Receiver Viliame Katia submitted a notice of motion in the High Court in Suva yesterday requesting for bail pending sentence.

Katia, 39, was convicted for charges of abuse of office for gain, forgery, embezzlement by servant, false information to public servant, unauthorised modification of data and obtaining financial advantage by deception.

The offences occurred between July 1, 2008 to January 14, 2016 while he was employed in the Public Service and involved a sum of $4,118,447.43.

He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 12 years imprisonment in the Nausori Magistrates Court on June 1, 2017. However the sentence was nullified and set aside by Justice Salesi Temo following an appeal from Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption.

The case was transferred to the High Court and the accused is awaiting re-sentencing. FICAC lawyer Rashmi Aslam served the prosecutions response in court, after which defence lawyer Romanu Vananalagi requested if his client’s bail application could be heard on August 15, 2018. Justice Temo told Mr Vananalagi that the test for bail was that there had to be exceptional circumstances because the accused had already been convicted. The accused has since been remanded in custody and his case has been adjourned to August 15, 2018 for bail hearing.