Corrections Officers Charged with Death of Inmate to Enter their Pleas in November
Two former and six suspended Fiji Corrections Service officers charged in relation to the assault and death of Seremaia Naidole Momo, a serving prisoner in 2019, will enter their plea on November 25.
The two former officers are Josefa Boletakibureta, 23, and Apisai Naqamu 50.
The six suspended officers are Isei Rakaso, 41, Pita Raikoso, 24, Waisea Sadranu, 42, Josefa Satini, 35, Nemani Vasuvulagi, 28, and Joji Raqamate, 35.
Sadranu, Vasuvulagi, Raqamate, and Naqamu appeared before Justice Thushara Rajasinghe at the High Court in Suva yesterday.
Defence lawyer for all the accused persons, David Toganivalu, sought the court’s diligence to excuse the absence of Boletakibureta, Satini, and Rakoso as they were out of Viti Levu and Raikoso, who was sick and could not attend to court.
Justice Rajasinghe adjourned the matter for a plea and asked the lawyer to ensure all the accused persons were present in court.
Bail for the accused persons has been further extended.
The charges:
Rakaso, Raikoso, and Boletakibureta are jointly charged with one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.
It is alleged that the trio, on February 20, 2019, assaulted Seremaia Momo by punching his face, head, and chest inside the bathroom for the cell block in Naboro Minimum
Corrections Centre and thereby causing him actual bodily harm.
Sadranu and Satini are each charged with one count of acts intended to cause grievous harm.
It is alleged that Sadranu on February 20, 2019, with the intent to cause grievous harm to Seremaia Momo, unlawfully caused him grievous harm by continuously punching him several times at Naboro Minimum Corrections Centre.
Koroi is charged with one count of act intended to cause grievous harm.
It is alleged that Koroi on February 20, 2019, with intent to cause grievous harm to Momo, unlawfully caused him grievous harm by hitting his head and shoulder with a black baton at Naboro Minimum Corrections Centre.
Koroi, Raqamate, Sadranu, Tikoigau, Rakaso, Vasuvulagi, Satini, Raikoso, and Naqamu are jointly charged with one count of acts intended to cause grievous harm.
It is alleged that the nine accused persons, on February 20, 2019, with the intent to cause grievous harm to Momo, unlawfully caused him grievous harm by punching and kicking him several times at the Naboro Minimum Corrections Centre.
Rakaso is charged with one count of complicity in the suicide of another.
It is alleged that Rakaso on February 20, 2019, willfully procured the suicide of Momo by telling him to kill himself with a plastic wire inside the Solitary Block in Naboro Minimum Corrections Centre.