Daniel Kingston Whippy, the managing director of Carpenters Fiji Limited, has submitted a new request for a bail variation to seek medical treatment in the United States. Whippy, who is facing charges for counseling the commission of an offense, appeared in court yesterday morning using crutches, accompanied by his wife.
He presented his case before Magistrate Sufia Hamza at the Suva Magistrate’s Court, alongside a co-accused, former National Fire Authority (NFA) chief executive officer John Masi O’Connor, who faces one count of abuse of office.
The charges against both men are in contravention of Section 45 in conjunction with Section 139 of the Crimes Act of 2009. The court was informed that between January 1 and September 28, 2018, O’Connor, while serving as the chairman of the NFA board, instructed his officers to alter the findings of a Fire Investigation Report related to an incident at the Morris Hedstrom warehouse in Walu Bay, Suva, on April 8, 2018, for personal gain.
Whippy, who was serving as director of W R Carpenters (South Pacific) PTE Limited during this time, is accused of advising O’Connor in committing the offense.
During the court proceedings, lawyer Sera Fatafehi from the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) objected to the bail variation request. She stated that they had only received the application on Wednesday afternoon and required time to verify the supporting affidavit from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Enosi Don Taloga before responding.
Whippy’s attorney, Stephen Stanton, informed the court that the procedure was non-invasive and available solely in the U.S. He also mentioned that if Whippy’s visa application were denied by U.S. Immigration, they would attempt to seek treatment in India instead.
The court will reconvene on October 28 to review FICAC’s response regarding the bail variation application, while Magistrate Hamza has postponed O’Connor’s plea date until January 13, 2025.