Katia loses appeal against sentence
A FORMER acting deputy official receiver whose corrupt practices resulted in the loss of $4.1 million from the Office of the Official Receiver’s bankruptcy and liquidation accounts had his appeal against sentence refused in the Court of Appeal.
The matter was called before judge Justice Chandana Prematilaka.
Viliame Katia was sentenced to 23 years imprisonment in 2018 after being resentenced by the High Court in Suva for engineering 1415 fraudulent transactions over seven years.
Katia, in his grounds for appeal, stated the sentencing judge had erred in law.
Justice Prematilaka highlighted in court the single ground of appeal relied on by Katia had absolutely no possibility of success and its unsuccessful outcome was so obvious that it could not be held as being arguable with a reasonable prospect of success.
Justice Prematilaka then dismissed the appeal for being frivolous under Section 35(2) of the Court of Appeal Act. Katia was charged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) with four counts of forgery, three counts of abuse of office and one count each of embezzlement by servant, false information to public servant, unauthorised modification of data and obtaining a financial advantage.
He was initially convicted and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in June 2017 in the Suva Magistrates Court after the magistrate’s refusal to transfer the matter to the High Court for sentencing.
However, he was resentenced to 23 years in the High Court in Suva after a successful appeal by FICAC against the refusal of the magistrate to transfer the matter to the High Court for sentencing and the initial sentence.
Katia must serve 22 years before he can be considered eligible for parole.