Defence to file ‘no case to answer’

COURT ORDERS DEFENCE LAWYERS TO FILE APPLICATION

Defence lawyers for the Australian nationals will file a no case to answer in the High Court in Suva today. Their clients are facing charges for drug trafficking and possessing arms and ammunition without a licence.

Defence lawyer for Yvette Nikolic, Ronald Gordon, made the statement after the prosecution had closed their case. Supporting the application was Mr Gordon’s associate, Wasu Pillay who is representing John Nikolic.

State prosecutor, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Lee Burney told the court that the prosecution had called all 13 witnesses as intended and formally closed the case.

High Court Judge Justice Daniel Goundar had ordered both the defence lawyers to file their application for no case to answer by 10am today.

The Prosecution’s 13th witness, Fiji Police Forensic Chemistry Lab principal scientific officer, Miliana Verebau told the court that she had conducted the forensic tests for the illicit drugs which was found on the yacht Shenanigans.

Ms Verebau told the court that the total weight of 13 bars of cocaine was 12.9 kg. She gave a breakdown of the purity test which was also conducted for each of the 13 bars.

Ms Verebau also told the court that the two shades of 65 tablets of ecstasy were tested.

Of the 65 tablets, the lighter shade were positive for cocaine with purity of 2.9 per cent while the darker shade were positive for methamphetamine with purity of 97.9 per cent.