Court Set to Decide on Refund of $5000
The High Court in Suva is to decide whether it will release the bail bond for Suva businessman Benjamin Padarath.
Padarath and Suva lawyer Aseri Vakaloloma appeared before Justice Riyaz Hamza on Tuesday. Seruwaia Nayacalevu, who is representing Padarath, informed the court that the case was called to determine whether Padarath was entitled to have his bail bond of $5000 returned to him.
She told the court that Padarath was not appealing against his conviction or sentence, but instead the appeal was filed by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).
Ms Nayacalevu said Padarath was willing to submit his passport to the court. The matter was adjourned to October 26 before Justice Hamza for the court to give its decision.
FICAC was represented by Anaseini Lomani. Vakaloloma was represented by Filimoni Vosarogo. FICAC is appealing against Padarath and Vakaloloma’s sentence, which it says was not sufficient given the seriousness of the offence. In August, 2018, Vakaloloma was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years for a charge of forgery alongside his co-accused, Padarath, who was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment suspended for two years. Both men were convicted after a full trial for forging the Articles of Association of BECP Engineering Construction (Fiji) Limited between October 14, 2009 and December 31, 2009 with a false page 27 by altering the subscription for Adishwar Padarath to Voreqe Bainimarama to be used as genuine.